Magpie's Nest
by Aria6
Summary: The story of a young woman who discovers a Philosopher's Stone in the ruins of a dead city and must try to deal with the changes in her life... and the odd people she will suddenly be meeting. A departure for me, I usually do Kingdom Hearts fanfic. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Rocks showered down as a sandaled foot scrabbled for purchase on the shattered golden stone. Finally it found an anchor on a firm piece of masonry and with a few baby swears, the woman hefted herself to the top of what had once been a large building. Now, it was nothing but a ruin. The ruin itself was of very little interest but it would give her a commanding view of the rest of the city.

Shading her eyes against the noonday glare, she gazed over the ruins of great Zephron. Once, she knew, it had stretched forth like the hand of God. Millions of people had lived in this fertile oasis, blooming with desert life. But then a long war had been fought and had ended with the destruction of this gem. The city had been invaded and sacked, and the furious invaders had poisoned the oasis and sown the ground with salt. The water had probably cleansed itself over time but by then, all the people had gone. All that was left was ruins.

_I'd best hope the water has cleansed itself or I will have a problem._ The woman thought morbidly. Although it would not be an insurmountable one. She was descended from the Il, desert dwellers who felt they were the only truly civilized people in the world. She knew their ways and knew all the tricks to finding water in a desert. Not that such would help her in the deep desert, but this was a gentler place. Orienting herself, she tried to decide where the palace would have been. That would be where she would find the best pickings.

_There._ She finally decided. There was a larger ruin to her South. She might be right or she might be wrong, but it was a place to start. More brick fell free as she made her way back down and retrieved her camel, who was busy munching on a few desert shrubs. Leading the beast with one hand she walked through the broken, deserted streets towards the centre of the city.

Her name, in the tongue of the Il, was _Ye'Valhar'Tomisha_ which, roughly translated, meant Sweet Morning Flower. She loathed that name and when a non-Il man had nicknamed her Magpie for her black hair and white skin she'd taken to the name with relief. She no longer had much use for the Il and they had less for her. It was sad to be estranged from her family but she would not marry, have children and be Sweet Morning Flower for them. It was not in her nature.

In keeping with her new identity, her hair was cut short. She wore it chin length, cut as sharply as if by a razor. It was glossy black, without even the slightest hint of curl and went well with her near-white skin. For an Il, white skin was rare and highly desirable. That had been a nuisance when she was growing into womanhood.

She stopped many times in her trek to excavate promising sites. She was not an archaeologist, a true studier of ancient things. No, Magpie was a pot hunter. She dug up ancient treasures to sell them to the highest bidder and had a vast collection of wealthy contacts that would pay top dollar for such things. But she was far more organized than most such and carefully noted down every find in a small, leather bound book. She also noted the general location and other things surrounding the object. Most of her clients wouldn't care but a few did, and it was always good to have the information handy.

_And I wish I were more than a mere pot hunter._ Magpies' lips twisted in wry amusement at herself as she put the book away and picked up a small pot, carrying it to the camel. The colored designs on it had once been bright but now they were faded with age and owned a beautiful patina. _I wish I were an archaeologist._ She would have been more than pleased to spend all her day carefully sorting and categorizing items such as this. But she was Il and a woman. None of the great schools would take her even if she could afford their fees, which she could not. They were not for such as her. She shrugged to herself and kept moving. There were more riches to be found in this forgotten ruin.

The ruins of the city were truly forgotten. Magpie reflected on that as she trudged onwards, oblivious to the heat. The great scholars thought that Zephron was a myth. She had only discovered otherwise from diligent research into musty tomes, many of them written in ancient tongues. She'd always had a gift for languages and picked them up easily. By now she even had a smattering of runes and hieroglyphics. All of which meant she had beaten her fellow pot hunters to this virgin territory.

_Not that there's many of us._ She mused as she finally reached the larger building. _It's a dangerous life. No civilization most of the time and if you don't do your research you'll never find anything of value or never recognize it when you do. And figuring out who to sell to is just a nightmare. _Magpie herself had gone about that the hard way. It had taken years of patient prying and wooing before she'd amassed her stable of customers. Drawing herself out of her reflections, she looked over the ruined building. It was even larger than she had thought but it was quite thoroughly trashed. Sighing to herself, she tied up her camel and pulled free her excavating kit. It included such wonders as a good hand shovel, a broom and a dustpan. This would be a lot of work. _At least I might find water. _She sniffed the air, detecting the hint of moisture. The camel had scented it too and was looking around longingly. If he got too thirsty he would break her ties and find his way to water, but that was fine. She did not plan to be gone that long and it was good that a camel could care for itself.

Climbing over the broken ruin with her kit was a chore but she was in fine condition. Magpie grunted in pain as a stone gouged her thigh, then blinked and bent down. There was an opening in the stone and to her surprise, there appeared to be a good bit of open darkness inside. Had part of this building survived intact? She carefully judged the opening before sitting down and easing herself inside. Kicking feet met nothing and she halted, gazing down and trying to judge the drop. It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust but then she discovered the floor was nearly beneath her feet.

_Idiot._ Sighing at her own timidity, she dropped down and pulled down her kit after. _But better safe than sorry. _A broken leg would be a death sentence. That was the great danger of travelling alone and Magpie often wished she had a companion. But she did not trust the other pot hunters and the few outsiders she'd tried to bring into the trade hadn't had the fortitude for it. Sorting through her kit she pulled out a torch and set to lighting it with a flint and steel. It took time but with a bit of patient work the tinder dry cloth caught. Soon the wood blazed and she was able to see more clearly.

Silvery eyes widened in surprise and avarice at the appearance of the corridor. Brightly carved bas relief murals had been defaced and shattered but she could still see the places where gems had been plucked free and gold leaf had been stolen. A few gems had even been missed and she paused to remove them, setting the torch into a small foldable tripod to provide light for her work. They were only agates, which had probably been why the looters had passed them up. Flipping open her book she noted the place and condition of the stones before continuing, but despite her calm actions her heart was beating faster. This was a significant find. Only someone of great wealth could have decorations like this. Perhaps a King?

_Do not get ahead of yourself._ Magpie reminded herself as she snapped the book closed. _There may still be traps. _Burial tombs were notorious for them. Although she really didn't think this place would harbor traps – it had clearly been meant for use – it was still best to be cautious. However, that caution proved to be in vain. To her disgruntlement, Magpie quickly realized that the rest of the building she could reach had been quite thoroughly vandalized. Her agates were the only unbroken thing in any of the rooms. There were quite a few bones but none of them even had jewelry.

"Done in the sack. Damn soldiers." She said aloud as she tossed a femur aside. The bone hit the wall with an oddly hollow sound and she paused. "Hm?" She walked up to that wall and considered it. More stripped frescos, but there was another skeleton beside it. An arm was stretched out as if the victim had been reaching for something. Magpie's eyes narrowed and she pulled out a dagger, tapping the wall with her hilt. "Ah." The sound range distinctly hollow in a regular area. A secret door. She patiently examined and worked the wall. One of Magpie's great strengths was her ability to solve puzzles, and it did not fail her this day. The door slid open and she smiled in triumph, carefully examining the way for traps as she walked into the dark opening.

There were no traps. But soon, her torchlight became unnecessary. A dark red light burned ahead, reminding Magpie unsettlingly of blood. But curiosity and a kind of greed drove her onwards. Not a greed for money, which was nice but not a great priority to her. No, a greed for the beauty of ancient things and the joy they brought her. She loved that feeling and was always searching for the next beloved artifact that would ignite it again.

Magpie finally stepped into a new room and stopped in awe. This was a very large room, built with such great reinforcements that even the sack had not touched it. A great symbol was carved into the ground and she vaguely realized it was a species of Alchemy. What riveted her attention, though, was the great red gem sitting in the centre of that circle. It was perhaps the size of her two fists and throbbed with a brilliant life. Magpie suddenly realized she was walking over the circle and felt a dull alarm as her hand reached out to caress that living rock. But the fear could not compete with the fascination and she gasped as the stone suddenly vanished as if it was sucked into her flesh. Then there was a vast surge of weakness and she fell to her knees. Feeling faint, she reached into her pocket and found her book. She needed to note this. It might be her last words.

_Central hidden temple. Philosopher's Stone. Absorbed into body. Do not feel good… _Her pen scrawled a meaningless squiggle as she fell over into a dead faint.

And somewhere deep inside, voices laughed and screamed and shouted in the joy of having a body again.

* * *

><p><em>Where am I? <em>Magpie turned in a slow circle. She stood on the steps of a great building. Perhaps a temple or perhaps a palace, great pillars of marble reached for the sun and supported a roof that seemed as ethereal as lace. Great trellises of ivy grew over the stone, giving it a beautiful green carpet of life. Feeling dislocated and sick, Magpie looked down the stairs. Below her was a great square. People were walking across it in a leisurely fashion, stopping to talk and laugh. Vendors sold sweetmeats from little carts and children laughed and played. Yet they were not… right. Magpie swallowed as she realized that every one of them kept glancing at her from the corner of their eyes, when they thought she wasn't looking. Her silver eyes kept them from knowing the direction of her gaze, and she watched them from the corners of her eyes. She saw amused malice, envy and avarice on too many faces. Even little children were smiling malignantly at her.

And now they were beginning to gather. Magpie stepped back, unable to stop herself as the people below became more open in their stares. A whispering was starting and the square was becoming crowded. She shuddered faintly as she remembered the time she'd almost been caught and killed by a mob. Any Il who dared leave the desert had to worry about ignorant fools who thought them demons for their eyes. She almost would have preferred that sort of rage to this. Magpie was not certain what these people wanted of her but she feared it would encompass far more than her death.

Her back hit something and she jumped forward, whirling around with a squeak. There was a man there in the full regalia of an ancient King and he smiled at her disdainfully. Great red feathers bobbed as he moved his head to examine her. Behind him was arrayed nine men and women, each more splendid than the last. Magpie saw the tattoos on their bodies and knew them to be Alchemists, or what had passed for such in the ancient city of Zaphron.

"This is Zaphron." She suddenly knew that, with absolute certainty. Magpie turned her head to gaze out over the suddenly silent crowd. "As it was, before it died."

"Before it was murdered." The King said roughly and she turned her head to look at him again. He seemed bitterly angry at the reminder. "Before our great plan came to fruition. But now, you are here. Now we can finally have our revenge on the Xerxesians!" He snarled and Magpie slowly blinked as she realized he did not know.

"But you cannot." She said, with a gentleness that surprised even her. The King stared at her blankly, clearly unused to any commoner telling him what he could and could not do. "They are all dead. They vanished in a single night. No one really knows how, but the Xerxes empire is gone." There were rustles and murmurs in the crowd and Magpie somehow knew that they could sense her utter certainty. The King and the Alchemists exchanged glances, clearly unsettled by the news that their enemy was no more.

"I see." The King finally said before staring at her again. He meant to pierce her with his gaze but Magpie found herself less than impressed. He really wasn't much, this ancient King. Middle aged and balding, with a most definite paunch, he reminded her of nothing more than a petulant child. The alchemists were a bit more daunting but there was some kind of fracturing taking place. Magpie could sense them circling on each other, even though they did not move an inch. Searching for weaknesses. And she could also sense them circling her, far more effectively than the King could ever dream of doing. "But you are still here. And through you, we can finally attain the immortality we seek. You will give us your body."

"No." Magpie surprised even herself with how calm she sounded. "This body is mine. You cannot have it." Now she understood what was happening. A Philosopher's Stone was full of souls, she had gleaned that much from her research. These souls were determined to seize her body and live in her stead. At first they had been united in the thought of destroying Xerxes but now they were turning on each other, each hoping to be the triumphant soul. There could be only one winner in this contest but like a garrison holding a fort, Magpie held the high ground. It was her body…

Even as she thought that, she gasped in pain at the building pressure. The souls were uniting against her, determined to force her away so they could cannibalize each other. There had to be a way she could win! But there were far too many of them to face directly. She could not stop a million determined souls and the alchemists were very dangerous. Lines of fire and ice slashed at her and she rocked, barely maintaining her grip on the 'body' she had here. Then she realized it was unimportant and released it, letting the dream of Zephron dissolve as she devoted all her strength to shielding herself against the psychic storm.

_This is futile. I cannot stop them and if I cannot stop them they will wear me out!_ Scrabbling for an answer Magpie tried to find something deeper. Beneath her a silver web opened, each strand singing gently. _What is this?_ She reached out to pluck a strand and felt a momentary shiver. The alchemist souls paused and she sensed… trepidation? _I understand. This is my life._ This silver represented her body, the mortality it contained. Reaching down to seize the strands she shouted to the souls. _This is my body! MINE! And if I can't have it, no one will!_ The pain was terrible as she began to unweave that silver web and she could feel the utter panic in the souls around her.

With a shocking suddenness and ultimate viciousness, they submitted. Magpie screamed and snatched her hands away from the strands as the power of the Philosopher's Stone became hers. Hers, and hers alone.

Then she fell into true unconsciousness.


	2. Xerxes

Everything hurt.

Magpie groaned as consciousness returned and with it, pain. She swallowed and almost gagged on the sickly taste of blood. Her mouth was full of horrible dried clots and she spat then retched. Hands trembling she sorted through her kit, pulling out a skin of water. It was still half-full and she used it to rinse her mouth before drinking gratefully. Careful exploration with her fingers revealed somewhere during the Stone's tortures, she had bitten through her tongue.

_Lovely. Absolutely lovely. _She wanted nothing more than to lie down on the ground and sleep, but Magpie forced herself up. She had a duty to her camel. The torch had long since burnt away but it was easy enough to find another in her kit. She always packed plenty, since light was vital to her tasks. She felt an odd grumbling in the back of her mind as she fumbled the flint and steel, but ignored it. How long had she been unconscious? Her camel had probably broken his ties and gone looking for water. She could use some more water as well.

_~You don't have to do that.~_ Magpie froze as she heard that old, querulous voice. The sparks from her flint fell into nothingness, missing their target. _~Light it with the Art.~_

"Art?" She asked carefully, wondering if she was going insane. But then she remembered the ancient King of Zephron and his alchemists. No, she was not insane. "What art?"

_~What you barbarians call Alchemy, although it is not the same at all.~_ Magpie's mind provided a mental sniff that was so like her father, she almost smiled. It seemed the Il were not the only arrogant ones in the world. But that comment made her think and she nodded slowly. If Zephron had been destroyed by Xerxes it predated the modern knowledge of alchemy by a considerable degree. Was this the first ever Philosopher's Stone? _~We called it the Stone of Life, girl.~_ Now she recognized the voice of the King and her lips tightened. She did not want him in her body but it seemed she had no choice.

"Fascinating. But since I know nothing of Art or Alchemy and I am holding a flint, I believe I shall light my torch." She said evenly before suiting word to deed. It sputtered and caught, filling the chamber will dim but wholesome light. "There, you see? Quite easy."

_~It could have been easier.~_ Someone mumbled and she resolved to pay less attention to these voices. They were the souls in the stone, the ghosts of the murdered city. Did all such stones speak to their owners? That could explain a great deal about alchemists, Magpie supposed. But there was no guarantee of that. Her Stone had been made from different and possibly cruder principles than modern stones. _~Cruder? It was a master work!~_

"Spare me." She said wearily as she hefted her kit over her shoulder. Magpie was becoming aware of a nagging hunger and it was doing nothing for her temper. "It has been a very long time and I doubt things have gotten worse." Ignoring the sputters, she picked her way out of the ruins. The bones were still there and she paused for a moment, regarding the one who had died reaching for the hidden door to the Philosopher's Stone. For a moment she could picture him in life… a strong, not young but not elderly man with hair the color of quartz and bright blue eyes, burning with fervor and desperation as he tried to reach the door…

Shaking aside the macabre although probably accurate image, Magpie continued to walk. She shoved the kit out the hole in the wall and followed, wishing with all her heart that she had found something marketable in this palace. She had absorbed a Philospher's Stone, which was all very nice for her but would not buy her a cup of Kavass or a piece of date bread. Sighing to herself, she stood and picked up her kit again. Why had she not put some food in it? She needed to find her donkey.

_~You could find it with the Art.~_ The King again, and this time with an edge of slyness she did not like. She was beginning to get a feel for him and doubted his intelligence. But there was a certain sly cunning about him that put her on guard. She knew from experience that a lack of intelligence did not necessarily preclude mastering dangerous skills. And such skills were only more dangerous when harnessed to the will of an idiot. Still, the thought was tempting… Magpie paused for a moment, pursing her lips before speaking.

"How is this Art powered?" She queried him.

_~For most who practice it, there is an exchange, a payment for any action.~_ The King answered and Magpie nodded. That was the basis for alchemy and even the Il understood that there was no such thing as magic. _~But no sacrifice can match that of a soul and you have a million and one souls at your disposal. For you, girl, all prices are paid. Consider that while you lament your lack of date bread!~_ Magpie smiled a little at that. The King was arrogant and had not yet realized he was a supplicant at this table. That a little commoner girl held all the power was too much for him and so he lived in denial.

"I see." She said politely. "So when I use the Art I will be using up souls?" That made sense. She would be sending them to their final demise, the place where they would be judged and condemned.

_~Yes, the weakest will go first.~ _Magpie wondered where the King would fall in that hierarchy but decided not to mention it. She strongly suspected he thought he would be the last and also suspected he wasn't. No, one of the alchemists would be the very last to go. Some of them had wills like steel traps.

"And you are suggesting I use the power of a soul, the most incredible thing in the world… to find a camel?" She asked carefully and was rewarded with a splutter and then a wounded silence. "I see." There was a soft, low chuckle as she walked, following the tracks of her camel. Magpie tilted her head at it, interested. The voice was female and full of warm humor. It made her smile as she walked.

Perhaps there was someone in this Stone she could work with after all.

* * *

><p>Some time later, she had found her camel and also the great oasis of Zephran. It was a beautiful paradise now, unspoiled by man. Desert flora and fauna surrounded the precious water and she checked it carefully before dipping in her waterskin. It was unlikely, but there might be a colony of crocodiles in such a large body of water. But it seemed safe enough and she drank her water in peace before refilling all her canteens. Next, she pulled forth a hook and line. There would be fish here, unwary fish that had never known a hook. Perhaps she could catch her dinner.<p>

"How was this stone made?" She murmured, directing her question towards the female voice. She thought it was one of the alchemists but she was not sure.

_~A multi-generational pattern worked into the very city. You have no idea how much it cost to buy the buildings and tear them down and rebuild them.~_ The voice sounded wry and Magpie smiled despite herself. _~When we were done, all deaths in the city flowed into the Stone. Or rather, when my grandparents were done… it was before my time.~_

"I see. A clever idea." Magpie could almost admire it. The inhabitants of the city would live and die without knowing that their souls would be stored on death. Human sacrifice of the most passive sort. "I would assume other Philosopher's Stones are not made like that." The thought made her slightly ill. Until she had absorbed this Stone she had had no idea what they were made of. But now she knew all too well. The voice sighed.

_~I suspect not. By the way, my name is Allisa Star-Caller.~ _Magpie wondered what power had given the woman the name Star-Caller, but decided not to ask. _~Our enemies had assassins in the city. They targeted our alchemists. No one made it to the stone before the sack began. It would probably have been futile anyway. The Stone was far from ready.~_

"I see. Well, what does this Stone do for me besides giving me the… accumulated wisdom of this grand city?" Magpie said with withering irony. The voice laughed, delighted at her lack of respect. "I assume there will be no date bread."

_~Alas, no. However, you are now immortal.~_ Magpie blinked as she pulled in a fish, examining it. Some species of catfish, she thought.

"Immortal?" She asked as she began to scale and clean the fish. "What do you mean?" Magpie thought she should be more… something. Upset? Joyful? But her feelings were cushioned with shock and disbelief. How could she be immortal? The voice was not loathe to explain.

_~That was the primary function of the Stone. To make the bearer immortal. You will find that -~_ The voice abruptly went silent and Magpie scowled as she felt someone else coming to the fore. It was the King again.

_~It was meant to make me immortal.~_ And he sounded sly again. Magpie sighed to herself. _~What will you do with it, child? Will you be a Queen?~_

"I?" She said mildly as she began putting together a small fire. There was plenty of dried dung here to act as combustibles. "I am but an Il, a desert barbarian. What would I know of being a Queen?"

_~I could teach you. Show you all the ways you could be great…~_ He bombarded her mind with images. Her, lying on a lounge, wearing a gown of pink silk as young men vied with each other for her favor. The finest of food, the greatest of luxury, the power to dispatch anyone who annoyed her at all… Magpie smiled. He knew her not at all.

"And see where all that brought you." She said softly and felt his rage. "Go. I do not need the advice of a fallen King." With that she exercised her power as he had wished and locked him deep within the Philosopher's Stone. He howled with rage and beat on the walls of his prison but he was as helpless as any lowborn beggar. Dismissing him from her mind she found a stick with which to impale her fish. Turning it slowly over the fire she turned her attention back to the female alchemist. The woman's soul felt wary but still willing to talk. "How, precisely, am I immortal? Can I be harmed?"

_~Yes, but you will regenerate. Quite quickly in fact.~_ Magpie frowned. This did not make a great deal of sense.

"Then can I not be killed?" If she could be harmed how could she not be killed? But Allisa had an explanation.

_~You can be killed but you will not die. You are bonded to the Stone and even if you are torn into the tiniest of pieces, your body will reform around it. And if you rendered unconscious we are all capable of acting somewhat independently now. We will all protect you. You are our only hope.~_ Her voice contained a great yearning and Magpie nodded slowly. All these spirits would live vicariously through her. What had it been like in the Stone before she had grasped it? _~You really don't want to know. The weakest succumbed to madness and melted together long ago.~_

"I see." That was grim. Magpie decided she had enough of such things and the sun was beginning to set. She would do no more today. "Thank you Allisa, but I think I wish to be alone now." There was a sense of acknowledgement and everything inside her went silent. It was peaceful, but Magpie could sense wonder and joy as the spirits inside her saw stars for the first time in millennia. And she felt a bit of awe herself as she gazed at the heavens with new eyes. The stars were so clear in the desert, it was like gazing into God's own hands.

Comforted by that thought, she rolled into her blanket and quickly found her rest.

* * *

><p>"This is Xerxes. As you see, it is no more." She murmured and felt a sense of awe and fear from her passengers.<p>

Magpie had spent a week in the ruins of Zephron, gleaning what she could from the place. Her Stone had proved quite valuable in unexpected ways. The alchemists were little help but the common folk knew where they had stored various caches, things the soldiers had rarely found. Her camel was loaded with pots and ancient jewelry, done in a sinuous design that Magpie thought would fetch excellent prices. Most of it was copper and beads with a bit of silver, but she had two pieces of fine gold stowed in a special pouch close to her heart. The only way someone would find it would be if they knocked her unconscious and stripped her to bare skin. Which was always a possibility in Xerxes.

The ancient capital had probably been beautiful in its day, but whatever had taken its population had snuffed out that beauty like a child blowing out a candle. Now that she knew what Philosopher's Stones were made of, Magpie had a good idea of what had occurred. Although how was a mystery. It was not a mystery she was keen on investigating. The scum that infested the ruins of Xerxes had probably made off with any evidence long ago.

Magpie was aware she was being a bit unfair. There were many Ishvalan refugees living in these ruins and they had not asked to be driven into the desert. But along with them were plenty of low lives, thieves and murderers who had offended the Amestris authorities with their wrong-doing. Also pot hunters, travelling Il and even some hardy fools who thought Xerxes could be turned into a living city again. The last were the ones she mostly had dealings with. Well, and the Ishvalans, those two categories tended to overlap. And speaking of which…

"Miyoki!" She called up to a youngish woman who was scrubbing industriously at a window. Her task was hampered by a lack of water and the poor quality of the glass. "Do you have a room?" The woman looked down, red eyes widening at the sight of the loaded donkey.

"Magpie! Wait a moment and I'll be down." She vanished from the window and Magpie waited patiently, keeping a sharp eye on her belongings. There was a half-starved child thief getting a bit too close and her hand fell to her knife. She would not kill but Magpie had no qualms about injuring. Fortunately the boy decided there were better pickings elsewhere and scampered off as Miyoki slammed open the door. "I was hoping you would be back. I have a room if you have the dime."

"I have the dime if you have the time." Magpie riposted smoothly and extracted her purse. "Same as usual?" Miyoki pulled a face at that.

"Ah, it cannot be. The prices for food are getting dearer." She said regretfully. Magpie did not necessarily disbelieve that but growled back.

"And no doubt you will want me to pay double the increase! What do you want, Miyoki?" They fell into a spirited round of bargaining and the price they finally settled on was half again what she had paid the last time she had visited. But Miyoki would not budge on it. "Are things truly that bad?" She asked as they got the camel settled in the stables and began removing his packs. The Ishvalan refugee sighed and shook her head.

"Bad and getting worse. More refugees come every day and they are straining this place. We are managing to rebuild the aqueducts but it is such slow work, and without water the farming is going poorly." Miyoki ran a hand over her face, stress showing in her red eyes. "If we do not get more shipments from Amestris or Xing there will be more starvation, but the smugglers charge so much…" Magpie nodded sympathetically. She did not really blame the smugglers. Smuggling foodstuffs was a truly thankless job. The items were bulky and heavy, and when you finally reached the destination no one really had the money to make it worthwhile. There were still smugglers doing it for the scant living it made, but they were far less than reliable.

"Well, I'm afraid I won't be here too long. A week perhaps to trade some of my finds and replenish my supplies." Magpie said and ignored the disappointment in her friends eyes. She liked Miyoki but would not stay in Xerxes longer for her. "I'll see if I can bring some food with me on the way back." She said and Miyoki nodded. They both knew that there was no guarantee when that would be.

"Anything will help." She opened the door to the room and Magpie glanced around it before nodding with a smile. It was very bare, with only a small pallet and a threadbare blanket. However, it was spotlessly clean and with her own blankets it would be quite tolerable. "It is good?"

"It is always good." She replied and the Ishvalan woman smiled before going back to her cleaning. Magpie carefully stowed all her gear and barred the door. There was no window so she would be safe enough. When she left, she would use the heavy lock on the outside of the door. That would be less secure but still well enough, unless someone came with a saw. But that was unlikely. Miyuki was not a fighter but her husband, Aspeno, had been a warrior monk in his day. Magpie was not sure how he had survived the civil war and had decided it was not polite to ask.

Supper that night was a tuzroe, date bread and wine. Tuzroe was a horrible root vegetable that grew everywhere in the desert and to Magpie, tasted like sawdust and slime. She had loathed it from girlhood but choked it down dutifully. The green root was said to rich with everything the body needed and she thought that was true enough. Certainly the people in the city were surprisingly healthy, all things considered. She was in her room fumbling with her flint when a voice finally spoke.

_~You know, you could light that with a bit of Art. You have access to all of our knowledge. You wouldn't need to use a soul for such a minor thing.~_ Allisa suggested. Magpie shook her head firmly.

"No. Miyoki is an Ishvalan. If she found out about what I can do now she would throw me out." She murmured softly and smiled at the soul's shock. "It's part of the Ishvalan religion, a rejection of alchemy. No Ishvalan in the city would deal with me and I need them desperately." Losing their cooperation would not be impossible to deal with, but it would be very difficult. The Ishvalans were the most reliable and honest people here.

_~Oh. The world has changed a great deal.~_ Allisa finally said as Magpie settled onto her bed, reading a book by candlelight. Her father had always said she would ruin her eyes like this but so far it had not come to pass. She'd decided long ago not to worry about it.

"You have no idea." She murmured, wondering what her passengers would make of Amestris.

That was where she would need to go next.


	3. Meet the Librarian

Magpie lifted her gaze from her books with a scowl.

She was in the library of Dublith. Her travelling in Amestris had taken her to East City first, where she had sold the camel and many of her pieces. It was a provincial town but there were still collectors of such things and Magpie knew them all. Three pots and both pieces of gold jewelry had sold, to her relief. The money situation was doing quite well which explained her trip to Dublith.

Dublith had a much better library than East City and in her trading in Xerxes she had acquired several pieces of unknown provenance. One appeared to be some ancient device, and it would only be valuable if she could identify it. Starting on the premise that it was Xerxian, she was researching in an attempt to understand. Magpie was also trying to learn a bit about alchemy. Not that she wanted to be a state alchemist – God forefend! – but possessing a Philosopher's Stone seemed to make her one by default. It would be wise to have a grasp on her capabilities.

So that was how she had come to break into the library. It was not a public library, alas, but one reserved for the students of this rather expensive and exclusive school. But the students were always encouraged to visit the well of learning so no one ever locked the library. And true to student nature, they hardly ever visited so she usually had the place to herself at nights. But right now there was someone else in the library.

_Who is swearing in the library?_ Magpie felt offended as she marked her page then snapped her book closed. The voice was loud too, much too loud for a library. Most Il could not read but they were taught at a young age to respect those who could. And places like this were like shrines to the temple of knowledge. Stalking away from the table she grimaced as her gown snagged on the chair leg. Muttering to herself, she carefully freed the soft blue silk. Magpie really had no use for such gowns but this one would serve her well if anyone found her here. They would likely assume she belonged long enough for her to make an escape. She had rented it from a laundry and would be returning it in the morning.

Slipping quietly between stacks Magpie made her way towards the sound. It did not take her long to find the source, although she did find the tableau in front of her quite puzzling. The group in front of her, lounging on chairs as one of their number sorted roughly through a book, would not have been out of place in the bars of Xerxes. Ruffians to say the least, there was something odd about them. Magpie frowned, trying to place it, but she could not. Then she saw something that made all such thoughts flee her mind. The little man in the corner was _juggling. Books._ Outrage overtook curiosity. It had to travel quite fast. She was drawing a breath to yell when something cold and hard pressed against her throat. Despite her outrage she froze as a voice chuckled in her ear.

"Good girl. I like girls with a bit of brains. Now, step out into the light. One foot in front of the other." Magpie swallowed as she felt the blade prick her throat. She might be immortal now but she did not like pain at all, and she had no doubt this man could inflict plenty of it on her if she disobeyed. She very carefully stepped forward and stopped as the others all turned to look. "Smelled out this little spy in the bookshelves, boss." Magpie blinked at that. Smelled? She'd had a bath this morning.

"I am not a spy." She said with spirit and turned her head carefully to glare at the man behind her. He was her height, so rather short for a man. "And if you get blood on this gown I will be quite angry. I have to return it tomorrow and I cannot afford to pay for it." There was laughter from the group and Magpie scowled. A gown like this could run a gold penny, perhaps even more. It was NOT a minor concern. "And furthermore." She turned her head back to glare at the man who was grinning at her. He short black hair and he was quite attractive although she didn't like the jacket with the fur ruff he was wearing. "This is a library." She did not allow her interest to affect the severity of her tone. "You do not shout. You do not _swear._ You do not, under any circumstances, EVER, juggle the books!" The small man almost dropped a book in surprise. "Put those back where you found them. And if you don't know where you found them put them in the cart!" She pointed to the return trolley as the whole group laughed at her again. The knife vanished from her neck which almost cancelled out her irritation at the laughter. The man in front of her laughed the loudest of all.

"It looks like you caught a librarian Dolcetta!" He stepped very close to her, invading her personal space. Magpie held herself still by force of will, sensing it was some kind of test. He caught her chin and lifted her head up, examining her face. "A lovely librarian." He murmured and Magpie had to fight back a flush. Lovely was not an adjective that had been applied to her since she left the Il. "But what's wrong with your eyes? You some kind of demon, hmm?" That made her stiffen in displeasure.

"I am an Il." She said sharply, making the man cock his head to one side interrogatively. "I was born that way. It is an adaption to the desert sun." All Il were born with a silvery membrane over their eyes. For some it lightened in darkness so they could see better at night, but Magpie was not one of those. Someone practiced at reading Il eyes could tell where she was looking, but most non-Il would see only silvery orbs that might be looking anywhere. "And I am not a librarian. I am like you, an intruder in this place." It was hardly a stretch to assume they had broken into the library as she had. The woman of the group, a lovely girl with blonde hair and odd marks on her skin, snapped her fingers.

"She must have been in here when we sealed the place, Greed." She said. Magpie wondered what she meant by sealed. Had they jammed the door? That was actually a stroke of genius if they had. Any student who found a jammed door would simply go away and tell housekeeping in the morning. The small man was putting the books away, Magpie noted. The man in front of her grunted and she wondered if there was a trace of disappointment in his face as he let go of her and stepped back.

"Well, you can get back to your books and we'll get back to ours. Everyone's happy, hey?" He said but Magpie ignored him, going to help the small man put back the books. As she suspected, he was putting them into the wrong locations.

"Sorry. It's just so boring here!" He had a rather high pitched voice and Magpie smiled as she imagined what her father would say about it. Something quite cutting no doubt. She glanced around and saw the others were mostly lounging and idly trying to read books they could not really understand. Only the woman seemed to be helping the man – Greed? – in his work.

"You are looking at the wrong books. Come with me." She announced and gripped the small man's arm, pulling him with her. There was a rustle behind her and she could tell the others were following. She led them deep into the stacks until they reached a door. "Please look away for a moment." She said primly and began hiking up her skirt. There was a laugh behind her but she ignored it as she fished out her set of lockpicks. Garter straps were, in her opinion, one of the greatest fashion accessories of all time.

"What's in there? Treasure?" One of the men said eagerly and she shook her head, concentrating on the lock. It was not complicated but it was quite stiff.

"Only of a peculiar sort." She said absently as she twisted a fine silver pick in the lock. She was really quite proficient with locks. Many ruins had them. "This is where they keep the forbidden books. Books on the dark arts of alchemy, heretical religious texts... and, of course, the lewd books." Magpie smiled as she felt the lock click and pushed the door open. "Romantic books go in the main floor, so anything put here is usually quite lewd. Often with illustrations."

"Oooo." Someone murmured and Magpie was pleased. She had clearly judged her audience correctly. She stepped inside and lit a few lamps as the men fanned out. "Hey, can you tell Greed that there might be alchemic books in here? He'd like that." The short man said and Magpie frowned slightly.

"I'll check to see if there are first." She said, setting down her taper. She was wasting too much time on this but it was more interesting than her own research, to tell the truth. A quick search revealed a whole shelf of alchemic books on subjects ranging from things that were lewd to things like human transmutation. "Yes, there is. I'll go –" She stopped as she realized no one was paying her the least attention. They had a very large tome on the table and were studying it intently.

"I didn't know you could actually do that." One of the said reverently and she took a quick look before shuddering and heading for the door. The Il tended to be a prudish people and while Magpie had shaken many of their ways, some did persist.

_~Oh, don't be so shocked. I did something similar back when -~_ Allisa began with a sultry laugh, making Magpie wince.

"I do not want to know." She said firmly as she walked back to the table. "Greed, Dolcetta wants you to know there are some alchemic books in the forbidden room." He looked up with a frown and she explained. "It's the place where they keep the lewd books."

"Dirty books?" He stared at her, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck before glancing at the open book in front of him. "And I'm stuck out here with this?" He started moving but the blonde woman grabbed his arm.

"Greed. This was your idea. I'm not going to be stuck reading this crap myself!" She growled and Magpie wondered. Was that really his name? Or was it just a nickname? It seemed a very peculiar one. Her father had always said greed was a terrible sin, although he had always seemed the greedy one, sucking all the life and joy out of everything and leaving only the withered husks for his wife and daughter. He heaved a sigh and turned back to the table.

"Oi, I know. You go get the books Martel. I'll stay here and read." She nodded and Magpie wistfully as the woman – Martel? – walked away. She'd always wanted hips like that. Why had God given her so little in that department? She turned back to watch Greed as he gave his attention to the books. What could draw such a man to this place?

_Curiosity is a womanly sin._ Magpie winced at the echo of her father's voice in her mind. But her automatic rejection of him and all he stood for made her more determined to know. She took a step towards the table and Greed looked up at her soft footfall.

"Are you still here?" He said and Magpie shrugged. "I'm busy you know."

"What are you looking for, in these books of alchemy?" All the books on the table were alchemic in nature. Greed gazed at her for a moment then shrugged with that grin of his. Magpie was starting to like it. It was very… she struggled to find a word for it. Free? Joyful?

"Why not? I'm looking for the secret…" He stretched out a hand towards her and she suddenly noticed he had an odd tattoo there. It, too, seemed alchemic in nature. "…To immortality."

"Oh." Magpie couldn't stop the feelings that flooded her then. She knew her face was revealing far too much, but she could not help it. She had not come to terms with her own immortality. On one hand, she rejoiced on not having to suffer the ills of old age. But on the other, she was filled with a strange fear. It seemed a sacrilege, a violation of God's law. And what did it mean? Could she have children now? Even the spirits within the Stone did not know. Magpie hadn't wanted to be bartered off to another Il by her father like a prized mare, but she did want children someday. Would someday never come, even if she saw a thousand suns? "That is a secret I wish I did not know." She said softly and turned away. A hand hit her shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts.

"What do you mean? What do you know about immortality?" Greed demanded as he swung her back around. Magpie's eyes widened as she was struck by the _presence _of the man. There was such desire on his face, such need. Not for her but for the secrets she had. For the things she could tell him, could give him that he needed so much.

_~Not so fast. Make him work for it.~_ Allisa whispered and she listened. Oh, how she listened. _~Men are hunters. They like to have a chase. Make him come to you, make him beg for your favor on bended knee.~_ Well, maybe she wouldn't go that far… but a chase… a game… a puzzle…?

"I have immortality." She whispered and winced as his hand tightened. "If you want the secret of it, come find me." And acting purely on instinct, she slapped her hands together and summoned the power of the Philosopher's Stone. She felt a new soul step to the forefront and knew it for one of the alchemists. For a brief moment she knew everything about him, including his title. Warp-Weaver.

And then she was standing in her rooms at the hotel. If it had not been for the slight tear in her gown on the shoulder, Magpie might have thought it had all been a dream.

hr

"Are you sure about this?" Magpie muttered dubiously as she sorted through the silken garments at the second-hand store. They all showed some signs of abuse from their careless owners but the basic materials were fine indeed.

_~I know men, child. You need to be a mystery to him.~ _Allisa purred and Magpie picked up a half-broken bangle. It was a blackened steel bracelet with a broken clasp and she added it to her pile of possibilities.

"And this requires clothing and cosmetics?" Magpie was dubious about all her purchases this day. It seemed a great waste of money to toss it away on powders and pastes. On the other hand, she knew that non-Il women used such things to great effect. Perhaps she was the one who did not understand the value behind them. Allisa laughed throatily as Magpie carried her selections to the counter.

_~You have to gild the lily a bit, child. You can't expect a man to salivate over you dressed like that, now can you?~_ Magpie admitted to herself that Allisa had a point. She was currently wearing her usual non-desert garb. Ragged pants barely a step from the trash bin and a particularly ugly, mustard yellow shirt, with a brown cape to keep the rain off. They were comfortable and she had gotten them for a very good price. _~That's the problem. Everything is about price for you. What are you saving for now that you won't get old?~_

"I suppose you have a point." Magpie breathed before she began her bargaining with the shopkeeper. In the end she spent more than she ever had on clothing in her life, but she had her new treasures. "You were going to show me how to fix these?" She asked the alchemist inside her as she carried her purchases to her rooms.

_~Indeed. Star-Caller was my more, um, flamboyant ability. But I was always a mistress of materials.~ _Allisa sounded smug as Magpie took a seat on her bed, holding a silk blouse. _~Here is what we need to do.~_

Over the course of the day they altered all the garments to fit Magpie like a second skin. They also changed the color of them to match the black of her hair and did something to the fabric that Magpie could barely understand. The grains were strengthened, woven together somehow to give the fabric a tremendous strength.

_~It won't help you if someone hits you with a maul, of course. But it will be virtually impossible to cut.~_ Allisa commented as Magpie gingerly eased into her new blouse. There were ties all up the back but a small exercise in alchemy caused them to tie themselves. _~There, lovely. And doesn't it look sharp with those silk pants?~_

"It does, but the face doesn't match." Her face was still bare of cosmetics and looked quite out of place over the fine silk blouse.

_~Let me take care of that.~_ Magpie let the other woman take the lead and watched in fascination as Allisa gave her a new look. It really did not take very long before she was standing in front of the mirror again.

_~See? You're lovely.~_ Allisa whispered and for the first time in her life, Magpie felt like she was. Not just for her lily-white skin but for all of her, every part. The cosmetics gave her skin a healthy sheen while the blush added just a hint of color on her pale cheeks. The mauve eyeshadow and lipstick suited her well, but it was the mascara that she admired the most. Magpie had had no idea her eyelashes could look like that. They had always been long and feminine but now they had a beautiful curl. _~That is nice isn't it? Things haven't changed much but I must say, you have better brushes now. The tool for that was a thing of genius. I would have loved that when I was alive!~_

"Yes, it is nice." Magpie murmured as she turned around in the mirror. The high waist on the blouse and the light pants emphasized her long legs, which were one of her best traits. "I like this. I can move in it." After another moment admiring herself Magpie pulled herself away from the mirror. She needed to get started on the puzzle.

Magpie still wasn't sure this was entirely a good idea. Yes, she was attracting Greeds' attention, but not for _her._ He wanted the knowledge she held, information she was not sure would do him any good. What if he didn't notice her efforts at all?

_~Sweetie, if he doesn't notice the effort you're going to, he's not worth your time. But I think he will. He's the kind of man who appreciates a lady.~_ Allisa sounded very certain and Magpie sighed as she built her rune. She hoped the alchemist was right. _~And you look like just the right kind of woman, too, in all that black. A bad girl for a bad boy.~_

"I hope your right." Magpie said, amused. A bad girl? Her father would certainly agree. And Greed was certainly a bad boy. "And if he doesn't?" She couldn't help the anxiety in her voice and Allisa laughed. But it was a kindly laugh, not scornful.

_~There's always more fish in the sea. And bad boys are not that hard to find!~_ Magpie had to smile at that although she doubted there could be any quite like Greed. Putting that out of her mind, she picked up a piece of orange chalk and pulled on a large, enveloping cloak. It was time to put her puzzle into effect.

The rest of the day was spent drawing seemingly random squiggles on buildings and infusing them with just a touch of alchemy. The store and home owners could try to remove them, and they would seem to come off but then they would return. She didn't want her puzzle ruined by energetic housewives. With that done, she paused to buy a bit of food – tinned sardines, pickled vegetables and wheat bread – before heading back to her rooms. She had moved her lodging to a more impressive inn, partly to muddy her trail and partly for the extra room. The tiny room she'd had before was barely large enough for one person, let alone two.

_~A much better bed too. It has a canopy, even!~_ Allisa said admiringly. Magpie flushed at that and shook her head. The bed was indeed very luxurious.

"Hush. You are a terrible influence." She muttered to the ancient soul who laughed. "I have spent more today than I ever have in my life." Five gold pennies were gone. Although that left nearly twenty. Magpie had never really spent much and the money had been accumulating. Someone else stirred and Magpie started as a male voice spoke.

_~It's as much a mistake to never spend as it is to spend too much. I've seen men who hoarded their money away for a rainy day, and death came before the flood.~_ Images flashed across her mind, of cheap garret rooms and unexpected treasure troves hidden under floorboards. Magpie bit her lip. There was something terribly sad about that.

"I'll remember." It was her nature to plan ahead, but the spirits had a point. Always putting aside today's pleasure was no way to live. Setting down her purchases on the table, she began work on the final piece of her puzzle. This she was making out of wire and it quickly proved to be a chore. Her fingers were punctured a dozen times before she had the wire in the shape she wanted. When she did, she infused it with more alchemic power before wrapping a note around it. Then it was time for the difficult part.

A basin of water dusted with silver powder was a perfect medium. Magpie had to spend a tedious hour inscribing an ancient alchemic circle around it. By now, she knew that she had been right. The alchemy Zephron had practiced was unimaginably crude by modern standards. In the hands of a competent State Alchemist, this circle would have been a third the size. But she was only beginning to master true alchemy so it was best to stick with what she knew. Magpie was very close to mastering the Zephron arts, thanks to her passengers. And crude or not, tedious or not, they did work. Very well in fact.

Finally her tools were ready and Magpie concentrated on the water. It twisted and turned, bubbled and boiled but she forced order on it with will alone. Finally the waters parted and an image formed. Greed, drinking a mug of beer in some kind of bar. From the look on his face, he wasn't having a good day. Perhaps this would make it better. Taking a deep breath, Magpie used the power of the Philosopher's Stone to make a more direct connection. She knew she was using up a soul but what she wanted was not a simple task at all. Lifting the piece of wire and note over the water, she dropped it. The water shattered like a mirror and the wire and paper vanished along with the image of Greed in his den.

Magpie only hoped she had not made the puzzle too hard for him. She did, after all, want him to find her.


	4. Cleanliness and the Wandering Willie

Author's Note: I've decided to switch things around a bit. So we're going for Greed's POV with a sort of detective vibe. Enjoy!

So, there I was, in a library, no shit…

Meeting the Librarian had been one hell of a thing. A pretty girl with nice legs, she was right up my alley. Then the bitch vanished after dropping a bombshell on me. What in hell is with women sometimes? I'm two hundred years old and I still don't have a clue.

She wasn't actually the Librarian of course. But I didn't even catch her name, so Librarian would have to do. Slim little gal with nice legs, a pretty face and good tits. Not howl at the moon pretty but still the kind of gal who'd get second looks at the Devil's Nest. Nice and healthy with all the bits in the right places.

Of course, what really made it was the personality. Hah! She was so angry with Bido over those damn books. Then she went and showed them the dirty ones! They'd all stolen books out of there and thought I didn't know, the fools. Not that I was interested. I had my own, and it was a lot more useful than the alchemic crap I'd been looking at.

But the girl… a little firecracker, and then she laid the whammy on me. Immortality? What does she know about it? Little librarian better not be stringing me along. But no, she's not. The look on her face when I said that, it was like someone killed her dog. Why would thinking about immortality make her so sad? Who could not want to live forever? Maybe it was a human thing. Or maybe it was the woman thing again. I just don't understand them sometimes.

So here I was, drinking a beer in the Devil's Nest. It's a slimy little place in the slimy part of town and that suits me just fine. You know how the cream rises to the top? Well, the slime sinks to its own level. Makes me happy in the pants just thinking about it. To me, this is one of the finer things in life. You don't think so? Maybe it's an acquired taste, like pickled eggs.

So I was enjoying the suds when suddenly I get a tinkle on my head. Not that kind of tinkle, goofball. No, something made out of wire and paper hit me in the head and damn near ended up in my drink. I caught it before that happened or the rest of this story wouldn't have happened. Ink runs, ya know.

"What in hell?" I gave the paper my best glare. It didn't care. "Who's being a smartass?" I turned around to look over the gang but most of them were just confused except Dolcetto. He was looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"It came out of thin air Greed! Right over you!" I glanced up as he pointed. Thin air, check. Nothing freaky, check. Then I turned my attention back to the paper.

"Ya don't say." I murmured as my thoughts went back to the Librarian. 'Find me' she'd said. I'd gotten my boys on that as soon as I was done at the library, and we'd found out where she'd been staying… past tense. Nothing left but a floor so clean you could eat off it. No one had seen her go and no one knew where she'd gone. Of course, in the slums no one sees nothin' but still, it was like she'd turned invisible. Was this that mythical thing, a clue? Shrugging to myself, I unfolded the paper and took a look.

_I do have the secret of Immortality. I do not know if it is a secret that will help you, but it is real._ I grinned as I read that, and then laughed. Immortality! Yes, it would be mine. I was Greed and I was going to have it _all._ _Show me what you have. Find me. There will be tests. Your first test lies on the underwater stairs._ My grin went goodbye as I tried to figure that out. Underwater stairs? _Cleanliness is next to godliness._ Religious crap. Or did that mean something? Oh fuck, it had to mean something. Well, fortunately I had plenty of brains to give me a hand. Not that they were any better than mine, but there were a lot of them.

"Gather 'round boys and girls." I turned around to look at the gang and held up the wire thing. It glittered in the lamplight like a captive star. See, I can do a metaphor. Or is that a simile? Whatever. "It seems we have a puzzle."

And I was not going to rest until I solved it.

hr

_Elsewhere_

Magpie knew a great deal about the city. She knew the locations of the cheapest places with wholesome food, the baths, and every library within the city limits. She knew the cheap, clean hotels and the neighborhoods to stay away from at night. She also knew the neighborhoods of the rich and knew exactly how to invade them to reach a customer.

She did not know about schools of alchemy or butcher shops. Until now, she hadn't tried to master alchemy and she never had a kitchen to cook meat in. So Magpie had made something of a mistake.

"WHY won't it COME OFF?" Izumi Curtis growled as she rubbed furiously at the stubborn stain on her wall. As she watched, the orange lines began to reform. "Hmph." She planted her chin in her palm, eyes narrowed with consideration. "This can't be natural. But it looks like no alchemy I've ever seen." She mused to herself. "It doesn't look like akhalestry either." She did not know a great deal about that art but she did know enough to recognize the basic patterns. This wasn't it. Yet there was a similarity… "Hmm. Hehe." She looked up and shouted. "Edward!" He stuck his head out of an upper window immediately.

"Yes ma'am!" Edward was still a bit nervous after the earlier explosion where she had expelled them. But Izumi was grinning?

"I have a puzzle for you! Get on down here." She ordered. If anyone could figure out these strange marks on her wall, it would be Ed.

And maybe he'd be able to figure out how to get them off.

hr

_Greed's POV_

"Well, even if my idea is wrong we'll get a bath out of it." Roa said philosophically and I sighed as I got out of my clothes.

"Yeah, yeah." Public baths just aren't my thing. I mean, it's good being clean and all but Lust told me about what goes on in here once. Totally killed the joy for me. That's why I got a tub put in at the Devil's Nest. Private baths all the way. "And this is a pretty good bathhouse." I had to admit that. The tiling was nice, the towels were heated and there were even kids willing to give you a backscratching for a tip. It's just that if Lust wasn't lying, people are filthy fuckers. And I had a bad feeling she was dead right.

We had brainstormed about underwater stairs for a while and this had been Roa's idea. Bido and Martel had favored the sewers. After all, there had to be underwater stairs in the sewers, right? But Roa thought the Librarian wouldn't be caught dead in a sewer. I didn't think he was right about that, exactly. She seemed like the kind of girl who could get her hands dirty if she had to. But if she didn't have to? Oh hell no, Librarian wouldn't be in a sewer. A bathhouse though, that seemed right up her alley. So here we were, going to look at underwater stairs. The rest of the boys were checking out the other bathhouses in the city and getting clean in the process. Might as well make the best of it.

The water was nice and hot when we got in. Someone must have stoked the boiler recently. It was pretty empty too which was nice. Maybe I was worrying about nothing. There were three sets of stairs leading into the water, clearly designed for the old coots who couldn't manage a ladder. I relaxed a bit and let myself float. Roa could check the steps, that's what minions are for. And the water was really a lot hotter than we could get it at the Devil's Nest…

"Greed!" I went under the water like _woah!_ Then came up with a splash. Roa had startled me. "I found it, it's on the middle stair."

"It is?" I was dumbfounded. I'd figured Roa's idea was a bit better than Bido and Martel's but I hadn't really thought it would be right. Sure enough, though, there was an orange diagram on one of the stairs. It had the same look as the wire. "Yeah, this looks like it." I ran a finger over it and the pattern didn't change a bit. "Librarian doesn't expect me to draw this, does she?" Nah, that would be crazy. And if that was what she wanted why give me the wire thing? There had to be a trick to this. "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Roa had figured that could mean a bathhouse. But then I noticed something. "Roa, look. What's that doing here?" There was a Saints' medallion stuck in the wall of the stair. And the face on it was pretty damn familiar. Roa saw what I was pointing at and sniggered.

"It doesn't suit you Greed." Grimacing, I grabbed the little thing with my own face on it and yanked. It came off right away. Librarian girl must have a twisted sense of humor, putting my mug on one of these things. I ran a hand over the pattern again, holding the medallion in my other and what do you know. The drawing just turned into another wire thing.

"Looks like you're a genius today Roa." I grinned as I looked at the twisted bit of wire. I hated to admit it since the woman was running me around like a trained hamster, but I was enjoying this.

Me and Roa took our time getting clean. Might as well make the money count, right? I did wonder though. How would we be getting the next piece of the puzzle? Well, I should have known the Librarian would come through. When I opened my locker back at the change room, something small and white fluttered out. I bent down and picked it up, not surprised to see pretty feminine handwriting.

"Looks like we have our next clue." I put it away without looking at it and started getting dressed. We were all meeting up at the Devil's Nest after our baths, and I wanted some other minds to knock mine against as we tried to figure out the next clue.

This was better than a crossword any day.

hr

Greed and Roa were had left the bathhouse by only ten minutes when the Elric brothers arrived at the door.

Ed was carrying a pendulum that he was seemingly idly swinging. In reality, the motion was anything but random. They had decided to use a variant of dowsing; using the similarity of that one piece of the pattern with any other pieces to find what they were looking for. The pendulum kept swinging in the direction of another piece. At first it had been a bit confused and Edward had an idea that was because another piece had been about the same distance to Izumi's butcher shop. But once they started moving a bit it had resolved in this direction. The two brothers paused in front of the bathhouse as the pendulum stretched out longingly towards the entrance.

"You stay here Al, I'll go check it out." Edward said firmly. Trying to explain why his brother, the walking suit of armor, wanted to go into a bathhouse would be too much. Al sighed but nodded.

"Be careful brother!" Al watched as Ed went into the bathhouse, at the ready for any danger.

Unfortunately, danger was not present. Or at least not in an obvious guise.

"Where do you think you're going, boy?" A massive woman blocked his way, looking Ed over severely. Her steel grey hair was caught in a bun so tight it looked like it might be cutting off circulation. "You don't get in there without paying! And you go in through the boys changing room, unless you're a great pervert!" She pointed with one beefy hand as Edward turned an interesting shade of red. But after a brief moment the young alchemist got ahold of himself.

"I am not a pervert! I'm a state alchemist doing an investigation." He held out his autorail hand as proof but she was not the least bit appeased.

"I don't care if you are the Fuhrer himself. If you need a bath you will pay for it!" She snarled as she gave him a gimlet glare. Sensing that argument was futile, Edward grumbled a bit but parted with his coin and made a detour through the men's change room. He didn't take off his clothes though. He wasn't here to bathe.

That quickly proved to be a bit of a mistake. Ed stood at the side of the pool and peered helplessly at the marking on the stair. Magpie hadn't removed it since that would require her actually going to the site of the crime, and she was busy at the moment drinking tea and reading a book on alchemy. She wouldn't remove it for several days. Finally Ed did what he had to, and took off his boots and shoes before wading into the water. Standing over the pattern he was able to copy it down into a notebook, ignoring the bathers staring at him. He finally left the pool and beat a hasty retreat from the bathhouse.

"Ed! How did it go?" Alphonse had been both bored and worried and was very glad to see his brother again. Although Edward was looking rather red around the ears.

"Terrible. A bunch of girls were snickering at me! And my pants are all wet." His boots were dry but the wet clothe was still a nuisance. Al made a puzzled sound and Ed shook his head. "And I had to pay for the privilege of getting my legs wet. That old dragon wouldn't let me in unless I gave her money."

"Well, it is a bathhouse." Al pointed out reasonably as Edward got the pendulum ready again. At first it tried to go back to the bathhouse but Edward managed to nullify that attraction and it began pointing in another direction. "We should probably go back to Izumi's now. It's getting late." Al said and Edward nodded, putting away his pendant.

"And we have other things to do." This puzzle was fun but they still had plenty of research to do on how to get Al back his body. This odd little pattern couldn't be allowed to completely dominate their time. Which was just as well, or they might have beat Greed to Magpie. But the Elric brothers didn't know that.

And so things went on.

hr

I took a deep drink of brew and looked at the card again.

"So what is a wandering willie? I mean, aside from my cock." There was laughter all around and I grinned as I tossed the card to Martel. She caught it easily and read it aloud. I can read, but reading out loud trips me up.

"Well done! You have the second piece. Seek the next at the store that women love and men love for the sake of women. Ask for the wandering wille." Martel scratched an eyebrow and I leaned back, thinking about it.

"The store that women love and men love for women… " I mused. That part had lots of possibilities. "Gifts for women. Chocolate shops, clothes, jewelry, flowers…" Yeah, lots of possibilities. Way too many, we needed to narrow this shit down. "We need to figure out what a wandering willie is."

"Your cock!" Some wit hooted and I rolled my eyes.

"We did that joke already. Martel? You have any ideas?" She's probably gotten more than a few flowers and chocolates in her time. Snake girl shrugged before reaching for her beer.

"It's not clothing." She sounded really sure, which was good enough for me. "It's not chocolate and I'd be surprised if it's jewelry. I'd bet on flowers Greed. Flowers can have some really weird names." I thought about that and nodded. I didn't have much experience with flowers of course – most of the girls I'd dated wanted a drink – but I knew a bit about herbs. Poisons, ya know. And herbs sure as hell had the weirdest names.

"Okay. Do we have enough time to get to flower shops tonight?" I peered out the window. It was starting to get dark. But Martel laughed as she set down her beer.

"Of course we do! Flower shops always stay open late so they can catch all the men going home after they've pissed off the missus with another long day at work. Or the young men buying flowers for the dinner date." She stood up energetically. "There's only one good flower shop in the city."

"Is there?" That made things simple. I glanced over the others. "You all enjoy the beer. We're going for some flowers."

"Bring us back some roses boss!" I grinned at that and shook my head as I followed Martel out. "Roa's getting hungry!"

"I don't eat flowers!" The big man was protesting as I shut the door. I wondered if he could. Eat flowers, that is. I mean, cows could eat grass. But then, Roa wasn't really a cow. And do cows eat flowers? How the hell would I know?

The flower shop was actually pretty darn close. But then, the shitty part of town was pretty close to the chic part of town. You know, the spot with lots of bars and lots of restaurants and women. Not exactly a safe place to be but certainly cool, if you didn't mind a case of the crotch itch. The flower shop was right on the edge of that, where it started turning into more middle-class houses. Nice location and I could see why it was the only one in town when I walked in. What a selection! For a moment I wanted some but then I reconsidered. I mean, they're pretty and all but flowers just die in a few days. What was the point?

"Hey, do you have some wandering willie?" I said easily to a girl working there and ignored Martel's stifled giggle. It did sound pretty crude, heh. She stared at me with her mouth half-open. "It's a flower? That you sell?" Still staring. And she looks more like a cow than Roa. "Okaaaay then."

"What do you want young sir?" An old, breathy voice said and I looked down to see a woman so old she'd shrivelled up like an apple. She slapped the girl on the leg with a cane. "Go water the flowers." She ordered and the girl blinked before slowly ambling away like, well, a cow. "Sorry about that. She caught a fever when she was a girl and she's never been right since."

"Sorry to hear that." I said even though I didn't give a shit. That is being socially gray-cious, see? I do know how to do it. "Do you sell wandering willie?" This had to be the place. If it wasn't I was going to be pissed. The old woman rubbed her chin for a moment.

"That's a funny name. One second." She went into the back of the store and came out with one huge-ass book. Damn, I was seeing too many books lately. She dropped it on a table with a thump. "Wandering willie, wandering willie." She muttered as she thumbed through the pages. "Ah yes." We both came in closer as she stopped and put her finger on the page. "The Inch Plant. We sell it to the little girls for the pennies. How many would you like?" Well, that was nice of the Librarian, to keep this in budget.

"Oh, how about a dozen." If I didn't use the extra here I could always put them around the Devil's Nest. Make the place pretty. Or feed them to Roa, whichever. The old biddy nodded and after a few minutes of rustling, handed me a bouquet of white things. Three pointed and pretty cute, not bad. I paid and we went outside. It didn't take long to find the markings on the shop. "She loves me, she loves me not." I grinned as I touched the graffiti and came away with a piece of wire. "Looks like she loves me. Here Martel, have a flower." I passed them over to her just as another card fluttered down like a lost little dove. "And here's our ticket. Let's get home." Depending on the clue, maybe we could fit in another one tonight. If not, there was always beer.

You couldn't go wrong with a mug of beer.


	5. The Bell Tower of Doom

"Well, this is going to be easy." I looked at the note in my hands, then looked back up at the tower. It was pretty high but that would be nothing to Bido. "Go for it."

"Yes Master Greed!" Bido was raring to go and I grinned as he started up the wall. Then I stopped as there was a flash of purple light and the chimera abruptly detached. "Ah!"

"Woah!" I caught him easily of course. But that was one hell of a thing. "What happened?" Bido rubbed his hands and looked upset. He'd never had his chimera powers fail like that before, I'd bet.

"I – I don't know. It was as if my pads weren't there!" I frowned as I gazed up at the tower then glanced at the card again. So, it was NOT that easy. Well color me surprised. The card was pretty specific but I figured the Librarian hadn't known about Bido.

_This is a challenge for you and you alone. Climb the bell tower in the middle of town. What you need is in the belfry. And remember, there is no honor among thieves._ That last bit was bullshit. There's always honor among thieves, if only because we can't go to the cops. If word gets around that you're a backstabbing bastard you're in for a world of hurt. Shrugging to myself, I put the card away and cracked my knuckles.

"Looks like this is a job for me. All of you wait here." The tower was old and had plenty of hand holds. The last bit was going to be a stone cold bitch, though, thanks to this little overhand thing. But there was no way to know but go and at least if I fell off I could try again. Regeneration is just awesome. "Fuck." The wind was picking up and that was going to have an effect the higher I got.

* * *

><p>Down on the ground, Roa, Bido and Martel all watched anxiously as Greed climbed higher and higher. They hardly noticed or cared when a dapper man in a white suit joined them in peering up at the tower.<p>

"Why is that lunatic climbing the bell tower?" He finally asked. Bido and Roa ignored him but Martel decided to answer.

"He lost a bet. There's nothing illegal about it." She said, putting her hands on her hips and gazing him over insolently. The man looked her over and Martel frowned. There was something cold and calculating in his eyes, not like what she usually saw when men looked at her.

"I suppose not. But it looks quite dangerous." He remarked with a smile that made her think he was mostly here to see if Greed would fall. And would enjoy seeing it if he did.

"Yeah, he _lost_ a bet." She snapped then turned to look up at Greed. It was late at night and pretty difficult to see him now, despite the white fur he was wearing. The stranger watched for a few minutes more before getting bored at the lack of pain and suffering.

"Well, I suppose it's not my business how fools remove themselves from the gene pool." He finally said and walked away, heels tapping on the hard cobblestones. Martel glowered after him.

"That was rude." She muttered and Roa shrugged.

"I don't care as long as he's gone away." Was the ox chimera's opinion and Martel nodded. While it might not be technically illegal to climb the bell tower, someone official could probably make an issue of it if they wanted to. 'Public nuisance' or 'reckless endangerment', maybe. And the cops could certainly get on the rest of them for loitering. Martel put the dapper stranger out of mind and went back to watching the tower anxiously.

* * *

><p>"Almost… there…" I grunted as I tried for my next handhold. Thank god this fucking tower was old, but this was still for the birds. Librarians secret had better be damn good for all this pain. And I was in pain, too. Why hadn't I brought gloves? The stones were cutting into my hands and I'd had to stop to regen twice. Talk about leaving a blood trail. Now I was getting to that lip and this was a fucking nightmare. Really, what did I do to this woman to deserve this? "Wha-huh?" There was something moving above me. I stopped and looked hard at it. "A rope!" Thank God. I was just about to grab it when I suddenly had a bad feeling. Everything written in those notes was a clue. What did "No honor among thieves" <em>mean?<em> I squinted up at the rope and just then the moon came out from behind a cloud and I finally saw it.

"Oh you fucking bitch." I said admiringly. That rope was tied to a stone balanced at the top of the tower. That was _nasty._ "Well, to hell with that." I kept climbing and sure enough, that lip was a cast iron bitch. But a hell of a lot better than falling with a rope and stone in hand. I was really starting to like the Librarian. What kind of mind comes up with that?

* * *

><p>Magpie breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Greed figure out the puzzle. She'd been scrying him intently since she realized he was getting close to this challenge. The last thing she wanted was for him to die. If he had made a mistake, she would have saved him… but subtly. He would have had a miraculous recovery, managed to get a handhold, something of the sort.<p>

Of course, Magpie didn't know Greed could regenerate. She didn't even know he was a homunculus. She thought he was just an ordinary man with extraordinary ambitions, and she didn't want that snuffed out too soon. Relieved and impressed, Magpie sat back and released her hold on the scrying. The rope was very long and Greed could retie it on something secure for the trip down. Everything would be fine now.

So she missed something rather amusing.

* * *

><p>So I was in the belfry. Like a bat. Fortunately there were no real bats in here. I hate bats, fucking flying rats. Rats aren't my favorite things either but they taste good with ketchup. The stuff you learn when you haven't got a dime to your name…<p>

"Here we go." I took the piece of wire and tried to figure out how to carry the damn thing. I finally stuck it between my teeth. It tasted like, well, copper but oh well. I'd live and it would be a lot easier getting down if I had both hands free. Hey, what about that rope? There was a lot of it, not enough to reach the ground of course but plenty to get me past that annoying ledge. This one spot would be great to tie it –

_**BONG!**_ _**BONG! BONG! BONG!**_

FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. Did I say fuck? FUCK! My head! My fucking head! Who rang the bell? Who? Fuckity fuck fuck… Oh my God. The world is spinning. I'm going to sit down. God fucking damn it all to Hell!

Okay. Okay, I got this. I just practically had my head blown off but I got this. Grab the rope and go down. Nice and slow… this is a lot better than the climb up. Librarian gave me plenty of rope. Now to grab a handhold… got it. Take it nice and easy…

Finally! I let go of the wall and let myself drop the rest of the way. Martel was touching my arm and her mouth was moving but what was she saying?

"Hey, speak up!" I said… well, I thought I said. I didn't hear myself, that was really strange. Martel looked frustrated and Roa touched my ear and – what? Was that blood on his fingers? "Oh." I ran a hand over my ear and sure enough, blood everywhere. It didn't hurt at all, huh. "That fucking bell." A moment of concentration and I was all good again. "What was that?"

"I was asking if you were alright." Martel said drily. "How'd it go?"

"Oh, not bad." I shrugged casually as I looked over the piece. There was a note tucked into the wire. "Except for the booby trap that would've turned me into meat paste. Librarian sure has a nasty mind. Let's see what she wants us to do next." I hoped this was almost the end. It was fun, sure, but I was getting tired of it. So the note sure was a pleasant surprise.

_You are almost done! The next piece is the last. _That made me grin. Immortality here I come. _I was running out of ideas so it's on the butcher shop down Santa Maria lane. Please get two steaks, something that cooks fast, and put together the puzzle in time for supper tomorrow. Oh, it needs a drop of your blood in the centre to activate. Then just step on it._ I rubbed my eyebrow at that. A teleportation circle? I'd never heard of something like that. _I'm looking forward to seeing you._ I tossed the letter to Martel who read it off for the boys. Who immediately started ribbing me a bit.

"Looks like Greed has a date!" Bido grinned at me. "You going to bring her flowers boss?"

"Nah. The woman wants steaks, she's getting steaks." I could do with a good steak myself. This was hungry work. "Well, no butcher shops going to be open this time of night. Let's get some sleep boys." The party broke up and we all headed back to the Devil's Nest. I was definitely going to get some shut eye. Even after regenerating my head still ached a bit from that damn bell. Maybe I'd set the bell tower on fire someday. What a nice thought. But I'd save that until after I saw the Librarian.

The secret had better be worth it.

* * *

><p>"Aw, seriously?" Edward looked up the bell tower as Alphonse looked around helplessly. "Seriously?"<p>

"You can do it brother!" Al said encouragingly. "I think." Ed put a hand over his eyes and handed the pendulum to Al before pulling on his gloves.

"I'm going to do this." He was determined to solve the puzzle now. Even if it meant climbing up a bell tower. He began taking a grip on the stone. "I'm going to – woah!" There was a small flash of blue and his hands popped right off, sending him down on his rump. "What was that?"

"I don't know brother." Al had seen the light too but had no idea what it signified. "Some kind of alchemy?" He guessed and Edward stood up, brushing his clothes off and frowning.

"There must be some kind of circle to anchor it. Let's look." It didn't take them long to find a strange blue, lopsided circle inscribed on one side of the tower. The lines were peculiarly asymmetrical. Edward carefully copied it before scratching it out with a knife. Unlike the design on Izumi's wall, this one didn't come back after it was defaced. And the next time Edward gripped the stone he had no trouble staying on the wall. "Wait for me Al, I'll be right back."

"Uh…" Alphonse watched worriedly as Ed began to climb. It was a long way up. "Be careful brother!" He called but Edward couldn't hear. "Oh." Al looked at his feet then started as someone beside him spoke.

"Let me guess. He lost a bet." Al turned his head to see a dapper man dressed in a white suit.

"No?" Al said in confusion and the man lifted an eyebrow before lifting a hand to point. Alphonse noticed there was a marking on his palm.

"Then why is he climbing the bell tower?" He asked and the animated armor was at a loss for what to say. "Nevermind. Probably something stupid like the other group of idiots. There are strange things happening in this town." He started to walk away as Al stared, confused. But then he suddenly understood.

"Wait! You saw someone else climbing the bell tower?" He clanked after as he ran to catch up. The other man had a long stride. "Who was it?" For a moment he was afraid the stranger would ignore him but he answered as he walked.

"A group of ruffians and one of their friends, climbing up there last night. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do." Al let him go, staring after as he thought. Someone else was after these markings? What did that mean? He wasn't sure but Ed would want to know.

By that time, Ed had reached the rope. And things would have gone very hard on Edward Elric if Greed hadn't been there before him, because he grabbed the rope without a thought. Quickly shinnying up, he found the last piece and carefully sketched it in his book. Also fortunately, he missed the top of the hour or he wouldn't have been hearing for a week. Instead, the young alchemist climbed back down the rope. It took a while but he was finally back on the ground.

"I have it!" Edward grinned and took back the pendant from Alphonse. "Oh, I think that was the last piece." The pendulum wasn't moving at all.

"Brother! Someone else is looking for these." Edward blinked at that and Al explained. "A man said he saw someone climbing up the tower last night. They must have been looking for this."

"Huh, that's strange." Edward thought about that for a moment. "Maybe another alchemist noticed the marks." That was logical and completely incorrect, but Ed couldn't know any better. "Well, we'll worry about that when we figure out what they do…" Edward flipped through the pages of his notebook and suddenly stopped. "No!"

"What is it brother?" Al asked anxiously. Ed was looking staring at his papers, clearly upset.

"There's a piece missing!" Looking at all the sketches he'd made it was clear that one piece of the pattern was not there. It wasn't a large piece but it was critical. "Maybe… maybe I can make it up. The pattern has a logic to it." Edward brightened at the thought. He was sure he could do it.

"Why don't we take it back to Izumi, brother? She'll know what to do." Al suggested and Edward snapped the notebook shut with a smile.

"You're right! Let's go." He took off running with Al close behind. They were very close to a solution to this puzzle.

It probably wouldn't help them get their bodies back, but it was too interesting to pass up.

* * *

><p>"I look good?" Magpie was looking at herself in the mirror again. For today, she had pulled out all the stops. Allisa had done her makeup and the repaired jewelry was now in place. The silk blouse she was wearing today was high necked and caught in front of her throat with an ivory cameo. Her right wrist was decorated with the black steel bracelet. She had taken a bath and her hair was sleek and glossy from the luxury shampoo Allisa had found for her.<p>

_You look wonderful. Stop fretting and keep drawing._ Magpie smiled ruefully and let herself be prodded over to her work table. This room was expensive but it did have many advantages, including a great deal more space. _It's not even that expensive. You don't have to live in poverty._

"Clean and small is not poverty, it's practical." Magpie said absently as she took out her geometry tools. "Although perhaps not so practical for this." She was determined to give Greed everything she had promised. To help with that, she was drawing a copy of the great rune that had created her Philosopher's Stone. It was not easy at all. Unlike modern alchemy, the art the Zephronese had practiced was very precise. Creating new patterns had mostly been a matter of art and intuition, not science, and they had to be repeated exactly to have the same effect. All the angles mattered so she was carefully redoing them. It was harder because while all of the souls had looked at the plans for the great pattern, none of them had actually been involved in making it. She needed to be careful if she was going to get it right.

_That kind of precision isn't always necessary. But the more complicated the patterns the more precise they need to be. If Warp-Weaver weren't so good, making that teleportation circle so quickly wouldn't have been possible. _Magpie nodded and smiled as she felt a sense of quiet pride from the second alchemist. Warp-Weaver had yet to speak to her but she sensed he was glad to have a chance to practice his art again.

Magpie set down her pen as she felt power in the air. The circle she had put on the floor in chalk to act as a focus blazed with blue fire and then Greed was there, carrying a brown paper package and looking around warily. Magpie smiled and took a step forward as purple eyes fixated on her.

"Welcome." She said simply and held out a hand for the steaks. "I need to run these down to Maria. She's agreed to make supper for tonight. You'll love it, she's an amazing cook." Magpie was in awe of her skills. The pastries she made were works of art. Greed grinned at her and Magpie felt a little faint. He really was amazingly attractive.

"Sure thing, Librarian." Magpie blinked at that. Librarian? Was that what they were calling her? "What's your name, anyway?"

"I'm Magpie." She said shyly. "But let me take this down." He stepped aside and she could feel his eyes as she left the room. It didn't take long for her to deliver the meat along with the message that her friend had arrived. That done, she scampered back up the stairs to find that Greed was already looking at her diagrams. "Please don't disturb that. I'm not quite finished." She warned him and he shrugged before taking a seat on the couch.

"You've run me through enough circles getting here, I can be a little patient. But only a little. What do you know about immortality?" He asked. Straight and to the point, but she had expected that. Magpie took a seat across from him and clapped her hands together, bringing them a couple of drinks with her power. She knew she was showing off but Allisa thought it was a good idea to remind Greed she was more than an ordinary girl. And it wasn't costing a soul anyway. It had been one of Warp-Weavers favorite tricks. Greed lifted an eyebrow at her before twisting the top off his beer with the palm of his hand. Magpie was impressed by the casual strength that implied.

"I am not sure it will be any use to you, but I am very nearly immortal. Let me begin with my story…" She told him everything then. Beginning with the ruins of Zephron, all the things she had learned from the souls inside her, and finally the diagram of the great transmutation circle. "I'm still not quite done this, but I'm almost there." Magpie reached for her geometry tools again and began laying in the final lines. She could feel Greed behind her, a warm line at her back but her concentration was on the paper.

"So… you're kind of like me. Interesting." Magpie shivered at his breath in her ear and had to control her hand by force of will. Then she blinked.

"Like you?" She turned around so she was facing him and swallowed at how close he was. He was grinning at her again and she thought he knew exactly what she was feeling. "What do you mean?" He lifted a hand and she saw that strange tattoo again. "I don't know what that means."

"You don't know about the ouroborous?" Greed was surprised and Magpie shook her head, feeling just a bit defensive.

"I haven't been studying alchemy long. The Zephron souls inside me used no symbol like that." Allisa felt just as puzzled as she did. Greed shrugged then smiled at her again. It made her knees feel weak.

"I'm a homunculus." That almost set thoughts of romance completely out of her mind and Magpie's eyes widened.

"A created human being? How is that…" She stopped then. The reason creating people was considered impossible was because of the law of equivalent exchange. Well, that and the fact that it was a blasphemy against God, but many people didn't care about that. "Oh. A Philosopher's Stone was used to create you." Then she thought about it again and realized there had to be more. A soul couldn't just be created out of nothing. That meant… "And you have a Philosopher's Stone yourself." That knowledge suddenly made her realize that her attraction to Greed, and vice versa, was not entirely normal. It was partly the attraction between their Stones as like called out to like. The laws of similarity and contagion were much neglected among modern alchemists but they had been very important in Zephron.

_I'm really not sure why no one seems to use them much anymore. Maybe it's because they aren't very flashy._ Allisa mused. _You can't make explosions with them. You can take bad wine and turn it into good wine though._ Then Greed stepped back and Magpie tilted her head as there was a knock at the door.

"Oh, the food!" She went to answer and smiled as she took the plates from a small boy, flipping him a coin. "Thank you." He smiled at her and Allisa chuckled as Magpie shut the door. She thought about asking the alchemist what was amusing but then decided against it.

"That smells good." Greed commented as she set out the plates and Magpie nodded. "Here, let me get that." She smiled as he set out the cutlery. That was nice. Her father would never have thought to do even such a little thing.

They didn't talk much as they ate, which suited Magpie just fine. The food was very good and she wanted to think about what she had learned. If Greed had his own Philosopher's Stone, what need did he have of immortality? Wasn't he immortal already?

_No. His stone would have to be vastly less powerful than yours. Cities aren't destroyed every day… although he would still live much longer than ordinary humans._ Allisa sounded amused. _How greedy to ask for more._ Magpie choked back a laugh. What could be more appropriate?

"If you have a powerful stone like that, you could create homunculus." Greed said casually and Magpie frowned at that thought.

"I suppose I could." It wasn't very attractive though. For starters, it seemed like on offense to God, to create people like that. Second, what if her created people decided they didn't like her? And what would she create them for, anyway? To be servants to her? The very thought was gag worthy. "But I wouldn't." She said firmly and Greed looked a little nonplussed. "I might like a companion on my pot hunting, but what if the homunculus didn't like it? I couldn't force them to stay." Greed's eyes darkened and she wondered what she had said.

"That makes you better than some people." He muttered under his breath and she suddenly wondered. Who had created him? Did that have something to do with why he wanted immortality? And was it truly immortality he wanted… or independence? Magpie set her knife and fork down, standing up and going back to the work table. She carefully rolled up her diagram of the great pattern and tied it with a ribbon.

"There. I have upheld my part of the bargain." She smiled as she set the scroll down on the table in front of him. He was done eating, good. "But I was wondering if you might like to stay for… more." She turned away and clapped her hands, undoing the ties on the back of her blouse. There was a warm chuckle behind her and she shivered as she felt strong hands on her shoulders.

"Why not? I'm always ready for the…" He paused to whisper in her ear as his hands strayed to other places. "…Finer things in life." Magpie smiled as she gave her body to him, showing him all the passion she was capable of.

This was going to be a fine night.

* * *

><p>"Yes, I have it!" Edward had created the full circle and was confident in his work. "But there's something still missing. What is it?" He rubbed his chin as he looked at the pattern. It was chalked into the floor at Izumi's house. "Hmmm. It's missing… equivalent exchange…" There was no source of energy for the pattern right now. "Oh, I know!" Edward pulled out a small knife and cut his finger, dripping the blood into the centre of the pattern. He immediately felt light headed and knew he'd solved the problem. "The power has to come from me!" The pattern lit up with light and Edward touched it –<p>

Alphonse yelped as his brother vanished in a welter of sparks. "Brother!" He lurched toward the circle and stepped directly in it. A split second later, the armor boy had vanished as well.

The chalk drawing in Magpie's room glowed blue a second time and the Elric brothers appeared, Al nearly flattening Ed. Quickly sorting that out, they glanced around in confusion.

"We're in someone's rooms?" Edward said uncertainly, looking at the chalk on the floor. "Some kind of alchemist?" There were plenty of notes on the table that seemed alchemy related. Fortunately for both Magpie and Greed, the neatly wrapped diagram was sitting on the sofa and completely missed as the Elric brothers looked at the table. "I don't recognize any of this but it's like the pattern that brought us here." Edward muttered before looking around the room again. There were two doors. He picked one at random and walked towards it. "Let's see if anyone's home." He was about to turn the knob when a voice spoke.

_Do that and I will suck out your soul._ A female voice whispered. Edward jumped back with a yelp and Al yipped, gripping the back of his coat.

"Who are you? Where are you?" The two alchemists turned around but saw nothing. "What are you hiding? What's in there?" A disembodied feminine laugh floated through the air.

_Listen._ It advised them. Edward and Alphonse exchanged a glance before Ed pressed his head against the door, Al following suit above him. It didn't take long for them to hear something strange.

"What is that brother?" Al simply had no idea. He looked down and saw his brother was going a peculiar shade of red. "Brother?"

"It's… it's… oh god. We need to leave right now!" Edward dragged the confused Alphonse away and back to the circle. "Does this thing work the other way?" He tried frantically to figure it out as the voice laughed again.

_No. Go out through the door. Come back tomorrow if you have to, children. But we may not be here._ Edward quickly pulled open the door and ran out as Alphonse looked around one final time. Then he heard something that alarmed him.

"That sounded like a scream – Edward? Oh!" Edward had grabbed his arm and was yanking him out.

"It's not a scream! Come on Al, I'll explain later." Ed wasn't looking forward to that talk but it was better than staying here. This was possibly the most embarrassing moment of his life. It could only have been worse if he'd actually opened the door.

Laughter followed them as they made a quick escape from the boarding house.


	6. In The Sewers

So there I was at the Devil's Nest, looking at Magpie's plans. Magpie. A strange name for a girl like that. I mean, sure, her hair is black and her skin's pretty white, but Magpie's are greedy little birds. I didn't see much greedy about her, but maybe I just didn't know her well enough yet. Heh, Magpie and Greed. That sounds kind of nice. And she was good in the sack.

After all these years I've had lots of women. There's always a sizzle, a bit of spark to start but that doesn't mean much for how they'll be in bed. I've had ladies with the best boobs and hottest butts turn out to be boring as hell between the sheets. I want some energy goddamnit. And I've had other ladies who looked great but just didn't click with me. Nothing wrong, just not compatible. Martel's like that, we tried it once but it just didn't work. Dolcetto's more her speed.

With the Librarian, it worked. Oh yeah. There were muscles under that lily-white skin and she wasn't afraid to use them. Active but sen-su-al. Just thinking about it made me want her again. Hopefully she'd stop on by. I'd gone to her place, she could come to mine.

But I needed to stop thinking about that. The pattern, right. I wasn't sure Magpie's secret had been worth it but that was 'cause I wasn't sure I could use it. The secret itself was the real deal alright. This pattern screamed to me, 'you want immortality? Here it is. Take it if you have the fucking balls.' Unfortunately, that meant it was fucking difficult. Planning on Father's scale, not mine. I liked the whole passive soul collection though. I'd never been too keen on wiping out people in job lots, not that I'd admit it. Something about it just bothers me. Maybe it's because I've got all these desires and wants and taking all that away from people just doesn't seem right. Do I have a conscience? What a shameful thing to admit.

Whatever. Either way, the passive soul collection was going to take too long. Even if I could turn a city into a soul collector, Father's promised day would come long before I was ready. So I either needed to make the soul collector and arrange a massacre, or look for something else. This was all too damn difficult.

Although I did wonder about Magpie. She was more like Father than me… I was pretty damn sure she could make her own homunculi if she really put her mind to it. 'I couldn't make them stay'… she said that so innocently, like it was the most natural thing in the world! Of course she could make them stay but she doesn't even see it. I wonder if she could do something for me. But that would require admitting to her that it wasn't just immortality I was after. I wanted to be free of Father too. Although the two things kind of went together, since when that bastard got his god-powers what need would he have for the rest of us? He'd probably just absorb us and I was fucked if I'd let that happen. Not to mention that there wouldn't BE any finer things in life if Father got his way, the prick.

"Greed!" Bido. I turned around, almost glad to leave the pattern for a while. "I found the ones who transmuted a soul!"

"Oh yes?" That perked my interest up. Binding my soul to an item… I figured I could shatter Father's hold on me that way and get immortality in the bargain. It was certainly worth a shot. "Tell me all about it."

This might be better than Magpie's way to immortality. We'd just have to see.

* * *

><p>Magpie sighed, slowly stirring out of warm, comfortable sleep. She blindly reached out, searching for someone beside her but he was not there. That absence fully woke her and she blinked before yawning and sitting up.<p>

Magpie glanced around her bedroom, seeing that Greed was certainly gone. That wasn't a surprise but it was a minor disappointment. She'd hoped he might have stayed for breakfast, but he likely did most of his work at night. Shrugging it aside she slipped out of bed and walked out of the room, still naked. There was a small note on her table and she picked it up, opening it to read.

_Come visit the Devil's Nest sometime. I'll buy you a drink._ Magpie smiled as she read it. She suspected that was as close to romance as Greed usually came. Well, she'd had a wonderful time so she would certainly be –

_**WHAM!**_ The knock – if you could call it that, it sounded more like a battering ram – nearly made her jump out of her skin. _**WHAM!**_

"Just a moment!" She called and then looked frantically for something she could throw on. But she didn't HAVE anything like that – _**WHAM!**_ "I am naked!" She screamed at the door, genuinely alarmed that the person on the other side might break it down. Blissful silence greeted her and she managed to put on her ugly street clothes with extreme haste. Yanking open the door Magpie blinked. Who was this strange woman looking at her so severely, with her arms crossed over her chest?

"So you're the one who's been defacing my property." She said severely and Magpie tried to figure that out. "You wrote on my shop!"

"Oh!" Magpie was a bit taken aback. She hadn't thought anyone would really care about a bit of meaningless scrawl. "I'm very sorry. I sent you a customer if that helps." She said meekly. Something about this woman was very intimidating. She reminded her a bit of Miyoki's husband in a bad mood. "I'm Magpie. Um, who are you?"

"Izumi Curtis." She said curtly, stepping inside. "My students found you for me." Magpie was completely lost. Butcher shops had students? No, that couldn't be it. Magpie suddenly brightened as she realized what Izumi must mean.

"You teach alchemy? A private alchemy school?" Magpie had heard of such things. Alchemy, unlike archaeology, had plenty of practical applications so there were teachers out there who gave private lessons. Izumi gave her a nod. "Uhm, what are your rates like?" Maybe she could afford it. Probably not though since she'd need to have rooms and food as well… but if she went back to conserving her money…

"You need teaching?" Izumi arched an eyebrow and Magpie could only admire it. She'd always wished she could do that. "Edward said you made a teleportation circle. I've never heard of such a thing." That was simply not part of the modern alchemic repertoire. Magpie suddenly frowned as a thought occurred to her.

"Yes, I did but – how did your students find me? They wouldn't have had the first piece." She'd given that only to Greed. Completing the puzzle should have been impossible without it.

"Oh, Edward is amazing." Izumi smiled and there was warmth and pride in her expression. "He filled in the rest of the pattern and made it work." Magpie bit her lip as she felt both Allisa and Warp-Weavers' horror. A few flashes of his memories told her why.

"Please tell him to never, ever do that again." She said faintly. "It's a miracle he's alive! You can't just… just fill in these kinds of runes!" She couldn't believe anyone would have been reckless enough to do that. But modern alchemy was utterly different. Still, wouldn't the consequences of a failure there have been just as bad? Izumi's eyes narrowed.

"What kind of runes are they?" She asked. Magpie shook her head. She'd told Greed the truth because he was just too interesting to pass up. Now that she knew he was a homunculus, she was sure he could keep a secret. But she was not going to tell random people about what had happened to her. If she did, sooner or later word would get to the State Alchemists and they would surely pursue her. For power or simply because she was too dangerous. "I will not teach you if you do not tell me what you know." Izumi was looking dangerous again but Magpie would not be intimidated now.

"I probably cannot afford it anyway." She said firmly. "I am sorry for your wall, ma'am. It was for a challenge for a man. I will remove it as soon as I've had my breakfast." Izumi looked truly angry with her for a moment but Magpie met her eyes squarely and the other woman took a deep breath.

"I suppose it isn't my business. But make sure you get that off my wall." She nodded curtly and left the room. Magpie sighed in relief then winced as the door banged shut. The alchemy master was definitely upset with her, but she couldn't go about telling the world she had a Philosopher's Stone. That would be foolishness of the rankest sort. Magpie decided to forgo bathing and breakfast and remove the markings from Izumi's wall immediately. She would do the rest right away too, except the bell tower. That had been difficult to put on and she was just going to leave it. No one would ever see it again anyway.

"Hey, you're the one who put those on the wall!" Magpie almost started out of her skin as a child with honey blonde hair accosted her in the alleyway by the butcher shop. There was a suit of armor behind him, with glowing eyes. What was THAT?

"And you're the one who nearly killed himself completing a half-drawn runic circle." She replied crabbily as she scrubbed at the pattern. Once the power link was broken that still left a good bit of hard work to remove the chalk. "Go away." She wasn't in the mood to speak to anyone, let alone the person who'd been responsible for getting her out of bed at the asscrack of dawn.

"But I want to know –" He started as Magpie washed away the last of the rune.

"No!" She snapped back and clapped her hands together, teleporting back to her rooms.

_You're being a bit of a bitch, dear. _Allisa said tentatively and Magpie sighed.

"I know." She was behaving badly and she knew it. "I just – I hadn't thought of a private alchemy school. And now I can't go to this one even if I could put together the fee. It isn't fair." She threw herself down on the sofa, closing her eyes for a moment. "And I'm hungry." Her stomach was trying to knaw through her backbone now. Allisa laughed softly.

_Then you should fix that. I bet that would sweeten your temper._ Magpie nodded. The dead woman was probably right, she did get a bit shrewish when she was hungry. It was too late for breakfast now, but Magpie ventured out and managed to find a street cart selling sausages. They were just beginning to set up for lunch and the one she got was half-raw, but she ate it anyway. She'd eaten worse in her time and she probably couldn't get food poisoning anymore. The edge taken off her hunger, she took a trip to the bathhouse and relaxed for a while in the pool before giving herself a good scrub. With that done she felt was feeling relaxed and almost content. _Think about what you did last night. That will make you content._ Allisa advised and Magpie laughed softly.

"You are so wise." That really did improve her mood significantly. Feeling cheerful, she went to a small café and ordered some real food. Nothing fancy, just a large bowl salad and a bit of bread, butter and cheese. But it was fresh and delicious and Magpie very much enjoyed it. She used up the last of the bread mopping up her vinaigrette, and sipped on her tea as she considered what to do the rest of the day. The only library she could enter in daylight hours was poor at best. It was probably a bit early to go to the Devil's Nest. But that part of town was only safe during daylight. Perhaps she should go now. Even if the bar was closed, there would be pawnshops and other places she could take a look at. Sometimes stores like that had hidden treasures and Magpie was an expert at spotting such things.

Her mind made up, Magpie returned to the inn and put on a new set of silk clothing. Things with Greed were still too new and tentative for her to feel comfortable in her usual street clothes. And the fact that the silk could turn a knife was a not insignificant consideration. Confident in her attractiveness and safety, Magpie made her way through the bad part of town. Her cloak concealed the richness of her clothing well, which was important here.

The Devil's Nest was open, but when Magpie stepped inside, she was puzzled. It was the usual type of bar for this side of town… benches and chairs of cheap pine, meant to break apart easily when used as weapons in a brawl. The floor was not clean and she wrinkled her nose as her boot stuck to something. About average, but the lamps were lit and no one was around. What was going on?

"I wonder what would happen if I tried to find the cash box." Magpie murmured as she investigated. There was a door to the back, probably for the staff. "Hmm." She opened it and frowned at the dark hallway in front of her. "Hmph." Fetching a lamp, she walked through the hall and came to another door. She opened it to a great deal of light and some very familiar faces.

"About time you – oh, you." Greed seemed disappointed to see her. Magpie was taken aback but only until she spotted the suit of armor sitting against the wall.

"It's you!" The armor said in a voice like a young boy. Magpie stared at it a moment before glancing around. There were several people here she had not met, members of Greed's gang no doubt. "Magpie!"

"Oh, you've met?" Greed glanced between them and Magpie shrugged.

"Not really. Their teacher was unhappy about the mark I put on the butcher shop. What is your name?" She asked the armor then noticed he had chains on his arms and legs. "Greed, why is he tied up?" This was all quite puzzling.

"I'm Alphonse. He's kidnapped me and wants to speak to my brother. Did you know he's a homunculus?" Magpie nodded to the armor but did not take her eyes off Greed. He was grinning again. What was he planning.

"He's a soul bound in that armor. Take a look." Magpie blinked as Greed lifted the helmet away from the armor and cautiously peeked inside. Martel looked up at her, looking rather put upon. "See? I want to know the secret behind this. If I can bind my soul like this, I could be immortal!" Magpie blinked and closed her eyes for a moment as Greed replaced the helmet.

"Greed, can you turn around for a moment?" She asked him sweetly. He tilted his head to one side, confused. "Please?" He shrugged and turned away from her.

"Why do you – OW!" Greed lurched forward as she slapped him upside the back of his head, hard. "What was that for?" He turned back, rubbing the back of his head and looking irritated. Roa tapped the head of his hammer into his palm but Magpie ignored him, focusing on the absolute idiot in front of her.

"Are you stupid! That's an empty suit of armor, Greed!" She could hardly recall being this furious. Had he entirely lost his mind? "He can't eat! He probably can't sleep!" She dropped her voice to a hiss. "He can't have sex. What good are the finer things in life if you can't enjoy them?" Greed hesitated and she saw a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. Magpie turned to Alphonse. "I'm right, aren't I? You don't feel anything in there, do you?" The armor boy looked down. The metal was amazingly expressive and Magpie could read dejection in his posture.

"No. Nothing." He whispered and there were murmurs behind her from the rest of Greed's gang. "That's why we need our bodies back. I want to have a normal life again." Magpie glanced at Greed and saw he was rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"I still want to know." He said firmly and Magpie sighed to herself. "Maybe it won't be any more useful than your secret." That made her wince a little. So what she had given him was proving of little use. Well, it wasn't really a surprise. "But it's something and maybe I can make it work. Maybe I can give up sex, hey?" He grinned at her and Magpie scowled back, less than amused. Was she that disposable? Hmph.

"Well, have fun. I will have no part of this." She said and clapped her hands together, making an exit. Greed could have fun with the armor boy without her. He was too busy to buy her a drink anyway. "Ugh, men." Magpie shook her head and went to her bags, pulling out the mechanical treasure that had been puzzling her so much. She was almost sure now that it was a music box. She just needed to make it work and it would be worth a small fortune. Magpie was a competent amateur mechanic, but the insides of it looked like a complicated watch. Perhaps she could use alchemy to make the box remember what it had once been?

Magpie spent quite a bit of time puzzling about how to use the law of similarity to do that. Then she abandoned the Zephron arts and tried to figure out how a modern alchemist would do it. She wasn't having much luck with either and now she was starting to feel guilty. Greed was an idiot but she really shouldn't have hit him like that. She was confident his gang would have no trouble with two children, but perhaps she should have stayed, just in case. Biting her lip Magpie set aside the music box and got out her bowl. She would scry out Greed to see what was happening.

To her surprise, Greed was in the sewers with Alphonse and, presumably, Martel. But why was he in the sewers? Magpie bit her lip as she realized something must be going very wrong.

When the old man with the swords turned up, Magpie did not recognize him. She was not technically a citizen of Amestris and viewed most of its institutions with distrust and a bit of hostility. Also, she was Il, and while most people in Amestris did not know what that was enough did to make her a second class citizen, at best. The thought that she might meet Fuhrer Bradley someday was ludicrous. So she had no idea who she was watching.

However she quickly realized he was insanely dangerous when he took off Greed's hand, then impaled him through the throat. Utterly horrified, Magpie tried to find some kind of weapon. She had to go help him! Her bags yielded a curved knife. She only carried it when she thought she was going into danger and while it was a fearsome weapon in its own way, Magpie was well aware of its shortcomings against such a swordsman. Clapping her hands together she teleported herself into the sewers.

While she'd been searching for the knife something horrible had happened. There were weapons on the ground, body parts and Martel was pounding on the inside of the armor. Magpie swallowed hard. Fear was almost choking her but she dropped her knife in favor of one of the swords. She almost retched as she realized they had belonged to Dolcetto, but he would have no use for them anymore.

"I don't know how. Does anyone know how?" She whispered to the souls inside the stone. To her relief one of them reached out, steadying her hands and sending her running in a catlike glide. "Thank you."

_It is nothing. I was a great weapon master, in my day._ The gravelly voice of a middle-aged man answered her. _You have a good body, nice and strong._

"But will we stand a chance against that?" She whispered and the voice did not answer. She felt almost grateful that he was not giving her platitudes that they would both have known for lies. Instead, her body slowed and began trying to slip through the shadows. She needed to take this man by surprise…

It almost worked. On anyone else it would have worked, since the spirit inside Magpie was every bit as good as he thought. But this man was not anyone else and Magpie's eyes widened as she saw the sign of the ouroboros in his eye. The weapon master's skill and her physical fitness bought her a few seconds of life. Greed trying to take advantage of the distraction bought her a few more, and so did her silk, which defeated the Fuhrer's swords for a moment. But then it was done.

Magpie watched in astonishment as the world around her went crazy. She'd never seen such angles before or imagined seeing them go by so quickly. She felt sick but as she tried to swallow, she realized she could not. Her view ended in a truly odd angle that should have been impossible. Would have been impossible, if she'd had a body attached to her head. Which at the moment she did not.

_This is the strangest thing I've ever seen. _She mused with a curious detachment as darkness ate at her vision. _And if it weren't for the Stone, it would be the last thing I've ever seen._ But she was already beginning to feel her body again, even as the world around her went completely dark. Would her head be dragged back to her body? Or would her body make a new one? It was a pity she could not observe.

Magpie blinked as eyesight returned, and took a tentative breath before cautiously sitting up. The battle had moved away a bit, thankfully, and she could hear Greed cursing at the strange swordsman. He sounded very upset. Did he think she was truly dead, or was he trying to convince his enemy of it? Magpie pulled herself to her feet, noticing that her silk shirt was utterly ruined. Well, that was to be expected.

"That did not go well." She said to the weapon master, who felt professionally chagrined. "I think we need to be more clever. What can the rest of the alchemists do?" There was a brief welter of imagines and Magpie saw too many things that would take too long. However… "Status-Binder." She whispered and called up one particular spirit. The memories of the other alchemists informed her that he was middle-aged, querulous and generally a nuisance. But he had a power she needed. "This is what I need."

They snuck closer to the fighting but this time Magpie did not try to attack. Instead she cut herself and began scrawling a pattern on the floor in her own blood. That would be a very potent medium for such a rune.

_This will last a good week._ Status-Binder boasted but Magpie could feel Allisa's doubt, and she shared it. A week against a normal person, maybe. But against a homunculus? She decided not to share her feelings with him. It was altogether too possible that he might decide she was insufficiently respectful and refuse to help. _There._

"Thank you." She whispered then tried to figure out how to alert Greed to her plan. The Fuhrer had just impaled him in the stomach. Reaching out, she used the principle of similarity. One Philosopher's Stone was like another, and they were the province of the soul so she should be able to speak to his soul… _Greed, can you hear me?_

_Magpie?_ She could feel his shocked surprise and then gasped as she felt the pain as the swordsman withdrew his sword from Greed's belly. _How – no, what is it?_

_I've drawn something on the floor. You need to lure him into it. I'll stand behind it, pretend you're afraid for me and run to me. But don't step into it yourself!_ She had no time to fix the pattern so Greed would not set it off. He would have to jump over it and they would hope that the stranger would not realize it was there until it was too late. Magpie thought there was a very good chance. Dark blood blended very well with sewer muck.

"Magpie!" Greed's acting was perfect and he seemed frantically worried about her as he took off running, the stranger close behind. He leapt over the diagram easily and caught her up around the middle, still running. So Magpie saw as the swordsman stepped into the diagram.

Lines flashed blue and he was abruptly caught in a block of blue ice. Although it was not ice. No, a more spectral force, powered by the souls from her Philosopher's Stone. Greed stopped and looked back with a vicious laugh.

"Helpless." He dropped her and Magpie barely managed to catch herself. Her eyes widened in horror as Greed moved forward, his arms black and tipped with brutally sharp claws.

"No!" She screamed and grabbed him. He aborted his lunge with a swear and his claws just barely avoided decapitating her again. "Don't! He's in stasis," She spoke faster than she ever had in her life. Greed had to understand. "You can't harm him at all when it's active and if you disturb the rune he'll be freed! We have to escape while there's still time." Because there wasn't much time at all. The pattern that should have lasted a week was being burned through at a terrifying rate. Magpie estimated it would last an hour. She could feel Status-Binder's dismay. "And there are others coming, can't you hear them?" She said desperately as Greed began pushing her aside. The homunculus stopped then, listening for a moment. They both could hear the tramp of feet.

"Damn." He growled and his eyes sparked with rage and frustration. "Some other time." He said to the swordsman. "Tell Father from me that he's a fucking prick." Magpie blinked at that. Father? Were they created by the same person? "Come on Librarian. Let's run!" He took off at a sprint and Magpie struggled to keep up. She was fit but it was still very hard. She lowered her head and put everything she had into it.

If they wanted to survive, they had to escape.


	7. Shared Sorrows

Magpie was strong. She had to be, to excavate ruins. She needed to be able to climb walls, dig for hours on end and do all the tedious work of sweeping and chipping. Being a pot hunter was not for those of unfit body.

But Greed's legs were much longer than hers and she found herself falling behind no matter how hard she tried to run. And Alphonse did not tire at all. She was falling behind and didn't know where they were going, but that only spurred her to greater effort. Still, there was only so much her body could give and her legs were burning…

"Where are we going?" Alphonse said, echoing her thoughts perfectly. "You can't run from the Fuhrer!" Magpie's heart skipped a beat. Fuhrer Bradley? HERE? Was that who that terrifying swordsman was? Warp-Weaver interrupted her horror with an image and a plan.

"We just need – a surface – clean – I can draw –" She gasped out and tripped. "Agh!" She struggled to her feet as Greed and Alphonse stopped. The homunculus suddenly grabbed her and shoved her at Alphonse.

"Can you carry her and Martel?" Armored hands slid around her and Magpie squeaked as she found herself hoisted into the air. "Draw what?" They started running again and Magpie gripped Al tightly.

"A teleportation circle! A great one but I think we have enough time." Warp-Weaver would have to work frantically quickly though. Still, Magpie thought he could do it and from what she could tell, he thought so too. But it would have to go somewhere she knew well… for a moment Magpie drew a blank, but then her mind flashed to Miyoki's boarding house. She always stayed there in Xerxes and knew the rooms like the back of her hand. It might cost her Miyoki's friendship and the cooperation of all the Ishvalan's in Xerxes, but right now it would be a small price to pay. Fuhrer Bradley, ah! Would he remember her? The thought was enough to give any right thinking Il the chills. It was almost as bad as being noticed by God himself.

"I know where. Follow me!" Greed knew all the ins and outs of the sewers and before long they were climbing up the rungs of a ladder. "This leads into a root cellar. We used it a time or two… but Bradley will find us here. You better be fast." He warned. Magpie nodded as she looked around and almost despaired. She was supposed to work in here? The lighting was very dim although the floor was concrete, which wasn't too bad.

"I need light!" She said and Martine eeled out of Alphonse, making him squeak. The blonde woman looked ragged and upset but she began busily lighting lamps along with Greed. "You stay put. I have a job for you." She pointed at Alphonse. The suit of armor had been looking around as if trying to decide whether to stay or make a break for it.

"A job for him? What's that?" Greed asked as Magpie cut herself and began drawing. Or rather, Warp-Weaver began drawing. This was too complex for her, particularly this fast.

"Someone has to stay behind and destroy this circle." She said absently as the diagram began to take shape. "Otherwise they'll figure it out and we don't want that." She actually wasn't sure the state alchemists would be able to figure it out, but she was sure they would have a go at it. And given what that child had managed to do with her puzzle she didn't want to chance it. Greed scowled at that but let it go. He wanted the secret of how to bind a soul to an object, but her logic was unassailable. "Will you do that for us?" She asked Alphonse who nodded sharply.

"Yes!" He said resolutely. The armor boy felt terrible about how all this had turned out. None of it had been his fault of course but he didn't think anything these people had done had warranted the punishment they'd gotten. If only Ed had agreed to the exchange of information – but that wouldn't have prevented Fuhrer Bradley from arriving. Why HAD he gotten involved in something this small? Al puzzled on that as he watched Magpie construct her circle.

"Hey, I have an idea. Help me move this." Al blinked as Greed slapped him on the shoulder. Together they moved a wine rack over the trap door. "That should delay them at least a few moments." Greed grunted and Alphonse nodded.

"But only a few if it's the Fuhrer." The other soldiers would have a tough time but not Fuhrer Bradley.

"Well, you owe me one. I'll want your secret someday!" Greed warned him and Alphonse tilted his head, trying to figure out how the homunculus figured he owed him anything. The logic was hard to follow.

"I'm done!" Magpie announced, stepping carefully into the centre of her circle. "Everyone get in!" Greed and Martel both joined her. It was a tight fit but it worked. Magpie gave the circle one last glance to make sure everything was correct and felt Warp-Weaver's careful scrutiny. Not a single line could be out of place in this great a working. Satisfied, she slashed her wrist and let the blood flow, concentrating on Miyoki's boardinghouse.

There was a flash of white that filled her vision. No, not just her vision. Her whole world was nothing but barren white, yet she still felt like she was conscious and in control of her body. She slowly turned around and saw that she was facing a huge stone gate. Or was it iron? She could not be sure of the composition. And it was supported by nothing which was truly bizarre. Magpie swallowed as she felt Warp-Weaver's shock and got quick flashes of his memories that told her why. He was the only one in her collection of alchemists who had stood before this gate before.

"Oh. I went a bit too far, didn't I…" Magpie turned around and saw what she was expecting. A pure white figure, but oddly enough it was not shaped like her. This was the form of a young man.

_**Yes, you did.**_ The Truth agreed with her. _**Did you think you could teleport so far without a consequence? What hubris!**_ Magpie flushed but lifted her head.

"And desperation." She said quietly and the Truth nodded. "What will I pay for this action?"

_**Nothing.**_ Magpie blinked at that. Nothing? _**It is not your debt to pay.**_ He gestured and Magpie gasped in pain as she felt something being extracted from her Philosopher's Stone. It flowed out of her almost eagerly and she stared as a young man appeared in front of her. His hair was as glossy black as an Il and his eyes were hazel. His face was strong and handsome, but there was almost an air of shyness about him. He turned to look at her and ventured a smile, but Magpie could see the strain on his face.

"Warp-Weaver?" She felt stunned. What did this mean? His smile widened and he finally spoke.

"Y-y-yes." A terrible stutter. Magpie could see now why he'd mostly been quiet, but surely that stutter hadn't applied in the stone! But maybe by then silence had become habitual. The Gate slowly opened and Warp-Weaver turned back to Truth, bending his head. "I uh-uh-uhnderst-st-st-stand." He stood proud and erect for a moment before slowly walking through. Magpie watched him go and knew that she had lost more than just a soul. She'd lost the ability to teleport by clapping her hands. She still had the knowledge of some of his circles, but now she would have to make them on her own.

_**You will not go through the Gate and will pay no toll, but I will still give you a fitting form of despair.**_ Magpie turned back to the Truth and bit her lip. Being noticed by God was infinitely worse than being noticed by Bradley. Bradley could only kill her body. _**For all your arrogance in your intellect, you allowed yourself to be chained to your place. You never even tried to rise above it!**_ Magpie almost protested but then thought better of it. Would she tell God he was wrong? _**You never even gave them a chance to reject you. You never reached out for what you most wanted. Instead you just thought how unfair the world was and kept to your comfortable rut. Is that what you want from your life?**_

"I…" Magpie sniffed, feeling a wrenching sorrow. "You are… right. I never…" She'd never seen it so clearly before. Yes, the great schools might have laughed at her dreams of being an archaeologist. But maybe they wouldn't have. Maybe twenty gold pennies would have been enough. Why hadn't she tried? Had she been afraid they _would_ accept her? Afraid of the sneers and sniggers of the other students… "I will do better." She suddenly forced her sorrow aside with an effort of will and looked Truth in the face. He grinned at her then, big and white and gleaming.

_**I think you will. And we will meet here again.**_ Magpie would have worried about that but the mist was closing in. She lost sight of Truth and the Gate and was glad of it.

Mortals were not meant to intrude in Gods realm.

* * *

><p>Magpie blinked slowly to see a familiar face looking down at her in concern.<p>

"Miyoki?" She murmured, feeling tired and stupid. The woman above her frowned and tested her forehead. Magpie realized she was on a bed in the boarding house.

"You've been unconscious for hours." Miyoki said and Magpie was not the least bit surprised. "What has happened to you? Have you become an alchemist?" There was a flash of something in her eyes that Magpie could not identify. Disgust? Sorrow? But her face was serene as she got her uninvited guest a glass of water. Magpie drank it gratefully.

"Not exactly. Miyoki… I…" Magpie surprised herself as tears filled her eyes. "I saw God Miyoki. He told me I haven't been trying." Miyoki looked alarmed at what probably seemed like blasphemy to her. Although the Ishvalan's believed in Ishvala, a goddess. But Magpie thought they were probably all the same.

"Shhh Magpie, shhh. You probably need to sleep. We'll discuss this tomorrow. Although you're paying for everyone." Miyoki said and Magpie smiled. Count on the other woman to always address the main point.

"My money is in my belt." She murmured as her eyes closed. "I trust you…" Magpie tried to stay awake but found she could not. She was utterly exhausted.

Darkness swept her away into oblivion.

* * *

><p>How had things gone so wrong? I kept trying to figure it out and couldn't find a good answer. I mean, maybe I shouldn't have talked so much and pissed off the pipsqueak. Stupid brat. But that wouldn't have been too bad if the military and the Fuhrer hadn't shown up. Had the timing just been a coincidence or had something about that kid gave me away? I'd probably never know and it pissed me off. All my friends gone, except for the Librarian and Martel. I was sure going to miss Dolcetto and Ria.<p>

"Hey." I leaned against the counter and the woman shot me a distrustful look. What had Librarian said her name was? Miyoki. "Miyoki. Do you have any hard liquor in this joint?"

"If you have the dime we have the time." She replied, which was a bit odd. I'd never heard that one before. "For hard liquor I only have Kavass." She reached down under the bar and pulled up an ugly jug. Someone with way too much time on their hands had carved a crude, grinning face on it. Huh. "It's distilled from tuzroe."

"What's tuzroe? I've never heard of it." And I thought I knew just about every tipple. Miyoki shrugged and broke the seal on the jug before pouring me a tiny glass.

"That's because it's horrible. We Ishvalans prefer fermented camel milk, and so does everyone, really. This is only good for getting you drunk." Well, that was about what I wanted. "You can have a sample free of charge." She said as she pushed over the glass. I took the shot and downed it like a pro –

"Agah!" Argh! That shit burned like fire! I wheezed for a moment and shook my head. "That shit is nasty." It had a godawful aftertaste too. I'd tried some bad booze in my day but this shit was in a whole new category. "It's perfect. How much for the jug?" She named a price that was pretty good, actually. No one would have the balls to charge a lot for that. I forked over the money and took the jug over to Martel. "Hey Martel, I got you something." She looked at the jug for a moment. Man, she was more depressed than I'd ever seen her.

"Will it kill me?" She asked and I shrugged as I set it down.

"I don't know but I think there is a chance it might." This stuff had to be made by amateurs, so there was always the possibility of a bad batch. That seemed to cheer her up and she grabbed a shot glass, slamming it down then taking another. Man, she was taking it hard.

I was taking it pretty hard myself. Everything I'd built up in Dublith was gone. I was lucky to still be alive and I damn well knew it. If Magpie hadn't shown up when she did, I probably wouldn't be. Fuhrer fucking Bradley had damn near exhausted my Philosopher's Stone. I'd be able to refill it in Xerxes though. Plenty of death in this shithole.

If I got a chance, anyway. I rubbed my chest. I was already feeling the burn, and not in a good way. Little known fact… none of us homunculi can get too far from Father unless he allows it. This was really pushing it and I could feel a pinging in my stone. I figured I could stay maybe a week before it got unbearable. Then I'd have to go back to Amestris, and I fucking hated it. I was not a goddamn puppet! There wasn't much I could do about it though. I took a drink for myself, grimacing as the booze tried to take revenge on me. Then I looked up as Magpie stepped into the room. She looked almost as bad as Martel. Not grieving, just exhausted to the bone.

"You should still be sleeping." I stood up and put an arm around her shoulders. She really felt like a bird today, light and bony. She shook her head.

"I've slept for hours. I can't sleep anymore." She took a seat and blinked at the jug. "I hope you aren't going to drink all of that or you'll feel like dying tomorrow."

"That's the idea." I said and passed her a glass. She sipped it slowly like she was savouring the flavor. Ewww. "You like this shit?" I couldn't believe it. A ghost of a smile crossed her lips.

"We Il drink this at feasts. The food is hot and there's never any water, so you learn to sip it or you end up drunk and telling the host all your troubles." She sighed and sipped again. "Then you get beaten for your insolence by your father, if you're lucky. If not he uses a switch." Okay. More than I'd ever wanted to know about her home life. Although it did give me a desire to meet her father and use his head for a dartboard.

"Well, we're getting drunk. You can join in if you want." We all drank in silence then. It was a good silence though, shared miseries being drowned. Like they say, misery loves company.

"Miyoki, are we going to have to leave?" Magpie said and I glanced over at the woman behind the bar. She shook her head.

"Of course not. Why would you think so?" She wasn't looking at us though, just cleaning the glasses. Hmm. Librarian was looking confused.

"I'm an alchemist now… well, sort of. I thought Ishvalans wouldn't associate with them at all?" She asked and the woman shook her head.

"That's not entirely true. If one of our own people takes up that forbidden art, yes, we cast them out and brand them with the mark of shame. But you aren't one of us Magpie. We can make exceptions for outsiders and the Il have always practiced some alchemy, although I believe you limit to your priests." Magpie nodded and Miyoki shrugged. "If you have seen your God, perhaps you should become one."

"Become…?" Magpie hiccupped then laughed so hard she was almost choking. I'd never seen that before. Even Martel looked up from her drink. "Miyoki! You know our priests are only men! Can you imagine?"

"No. Drink your kavass." Magpie sipped and I decided it sounded great. I wasn't going to sip that shit though. Chug all the way. A big bruiser of a guy showed up halfway through our drinking. "This is my husband, Aspeno." I looked him over a bit. He looked like he would have fit in back in Dublith. Lots of scars, some ink and plenty of muscles. "He is a warrior monk." Oh. Well maybe not then. He gave us a big cheerful grin.

"We have boarders? Excellent! What is for supper? Tell me it isn't turzoe again." He said with a bit of a whine and his wife smiled at him. That made her look sexy. Maybe I better not notice that, right now I bet he could kick my ass.

"It's tuzroe with a bit of camel." Camel? What had I gotten into? Maybe I was glad I'd have to go back to Amestris.

"I hope you aren't slaughtering the camels." Magpie said. She sounded worried. Miyoki shook her head.

"Of course not. One of them broke a leg. Let me get you some food to soak up that alcohol." Now that she mentioned it I was feeling pretty empty.

"You're a peach." I yawned and took another slug of the booze. The world was starting to spin a bit. Nice. The woman dimpled at me before she started pouring out the grub. Must remember she has a husband. Must remember Magpie is sitting right beside me and would probably rip my balls off. Or Martel would, she seems to like the Librarian. The husband brought us the grub and I tried a bit. Ew. "Man, this tuzroe stuff is awful." It did fill the hole though. Magpie and Martel inhaled theirs without a word. Must be a female thing. The world was really spinning now. Maybe I should stop while I could still walk upstairs. Nah, fuck that. I could just sleep down here. Martel was already asleep and drooling on the table. Guess that meant I got the underside of the table. That was okay, it'd keep the drool off. How many more shots would it… it…


	8. The Ties that Bind

The next day dawned bright and early. Magpie yawned, stretching in her blankets. She felt surprisingly good. The memories of what had happened in Dublith were still painful and terrifying, but they were a bit removed now. And she was not really grieving. She hadn't really known any of Greed's gang at all. Speaking of which, she should check on Greed and Martel. Magpie sat up in her bed then hesitated. What should she wear? Picking up her silk blouse with a grimace, she began beating off the dried blood. It would still be stained but at least with the crusty bits off, she might not look like a murder victim.

_~Maybe you should just hold the blanket over yourself and ask Miyoki if you can borrow something. I don't think that's salvageable.~ _Magpie sighed and dropped the blouse. Allisa was likely right. Such a terrible waste. Even worse was all the clothing she'd left behind in Dublith. She couldn't have taken it all with her of course, but Magpie had anticipated reselling it for equal or more than she'd paid. It wasn't as though her alterations and fixes had lowered the value. Blanket held tightly in place, Magpie walked downstairs.

"Miyoki?" As she had expected, her friend was already up and preparing breakfast. She looked up with a smile then frowned as she saw the blanket. "I hate to ask, but do you have something I can wear until I can buy new clothes?"

"Yes, but it is dirty." She warned and Magpie nodded acceptance. "Wait a moment." She vanished and came back with a loose black robe. It was exactly the kind of desert garment the Il wore and Magpie changed into it gratefully. "Although everything is dirty these days." Miyoki sounded grim and Magpie tilted her head.

"Problems with the water?" She asked. Water was an unending problem in Xerxes. The ancient Xerxians had used pumps and deep wells to bring up the water from under the city, but those pumps had rusted into uselessness centuries ago. The deep wells had often partly collapsed. All that was left was a few wells that barely scraped the water table. One year of poor rain and the Ishvalans in Xerxes would take over the water and painfully ration it. Some of the thieves and criminals tried to make an issue of it but most accepted it with grim resignation.

"Yes. It's worse than ever." Miyoki sighed as she gave Magpie a piece of bread and some sardines. Magpie was a bit surprised by that. Tinned sardines hardly ever made it all the way to the desert. "There have been more travellers from Xing, which is a blessing in a way. The food is doing much better." Magpie nodded and glanced over at Greed and Martel as she ate. One was asleep on the table, the other under it and Miyoki had covered them both with blankets. It was very thoughtful of her. "But they make the water situation worse."

"Hm." Magpie wondered. She was just beginning to grasp true alchemy but she had learned a few basics and was melding them with her Zephron knowledge. A true alchemist might put it differently, but Magpie knew that rust was iron that had taken in the essence of air. It would be easy enough to transmute back to the form of iron and if she did that, she could make a pump remember how it had once been. The sympathy there would make for an easy transmutation. She might have to do the pipes too and that would probably cost a soul but what better value could there be? "I'll have to see about repairing a pump. Do you know where any of them might be?" Magpie had never gone looking for them before. Miyoki frowned faintly then shrugged.

"There's one down by the bazaar. That's closest and would do a great deal of good." Magpie could tell from her reserved tone that Miyoki knew only alchemy could repair those pumps now.

"I wonder why there are more travellers from Xing now?" Magpie mused. That was a bit odd. "It must be because of the succession." The Il had more contact with Xing than almost anyone. That was no surprise, since their travelling through the desert often brought them to the borders of that great nation. In fact, the Il thought they were descended from a Xing clan on the losing end of a civil war. Magpie thought it was quite likely. Except for the eyes, there was a great deal of similarity in appearance. "Refugees?" If things were heating up in a bad way, the hardiest or most desperate would be looking to avoid the flames. Miyoki nodded.

"Yes, so they might go back if things calm down. Or there might be more if things don't. But it does mean smugglers from Xing are bringing more supplies, often for their families." Magpie nodded. That made sense. "If only we can rebuild the aqueducts this can truly be a city again!" Magpie bit her lip. It would be a truly monumental job but could she help with that as well? Regretfully she put the thought aside. She had her own problems to deal with and fixing aqueducts would not pay the bills.

"Oh…" They both turned to look as Greed stirred under his blanket. "Oh… God… what the… fuck…" Magpie shook her head as the homunculus suddenly lurched up and out the door. The sound of someone being horribly sick followed. Martel whimpered, eyes tightly closed. Magpie turned to Miyoki and found the other woman already had a wooden basin out. She quickly grabbed it and brought it to the blonde woman.

Just in time. Martel was awake and Greed's sickness had made hers worse. Magpie held her steady as she vomited into the basin.

"It's been so long since I hosted this sort of thing." Miyoki was amused and a little annoyed. Magpie gently patted Martel on the head as the other woman gasped.

"I want to die…" She mumbled and Magpie nodded sympathetically. She hadn't been in this condition from years, but she still remembered her first feasts as an adult well. Her father's beating had felt almost superfluous.

"Have some water, it will help." Magpie glanced at Miyoki, who nodded and fetched a cup. "Do you have any pickles?" It was a strange remedy but Magpie had always found pickles helped a bit. They were easy to keep down, at least. The sardines might be too greasy.

"I do, let me get them." Martel looked at the food in revulsion when it was set before her, but still took a pickle and started nibbling. Greed staggered inside, slumping down onto a bar stool with a groan. Miyoki pushed a glass of water in front of him without comment. Magpie thought of something then.

"Miyoki, I'll clean up your porch. My silk blouse isn't good for anything else anyway." It would hardly be the first time she'd cleaned up vomit, and if water was being rationed they didn't want to use any good cloth on it. Miyoki smiled at her gratefully as she put together a small bowl of pickles for Greed.

"That would be wonderful, thank you." She wasn't about to ask Greed or Martel to clean it up – that would just be too cruel – but it was not something she'd been looking forward to. Magpie went upstairs to fetch the ruined blouse and soon was cleaning off the steps. It wasn't really too hard and when she was done the silk went in the midden. After that, Magpie paused, looking over the street. It really was much busier than it had been before and there were a lot of people who looked Xing. They were all working too. Magpie frowned and poked her head back in the door.

"I'm going to the bazaar to get some clothes. Can you look after them while I'm gone?" Magpie jerked her chin at the suffering pair. The Ishvalan woman smiled, expression warm.

"Of course. Have fun." Magpie smiled back before starting off to the market. Xerxes was relatively safe during the day, but she wanted to be done her shopping before nightfall. And she wanted to test her ideas about the pump.

Shopping took a fair amount of time. Not because what Magpie wanted was hard to find, but because of the prices people tried to charge for it. The wretched city was full of thieves and hucksters, but she refused to be cheated. Soon she had her purchases piled in a basket. Clothing not just for herself, but for Greed and Martel. Nothing they had was suitable for the desert sun, although Magpie wasn't sure if Greed would burn or not. Did a homunculus get sunburn? Either way, he would stand out if he went out in his current clothes. Then Magpie went to find a pump.

It was off the beaten path and Magpie glanced around warily as she carefully walked to the pump. The homes here were all battered and broken, untouched except by scavengers, animal and human alike. Thieves and rapists might lurk in these ruins, but Magpie saw no one. She set down her basket near the well and cautiously looked over the rusting hulk.

It was in extremely poor condition. Once, there had been a vast metal basin into which the water could be pumped. Now it was badly corroded and almost green. The pump itself was no better. Magpie touched it and realized, with a start of surprise, that it was copper. That was interesting. Copper did not rust like iron and it lasted quite a bit longer. So why didn't the pump work?

_~Actually, copper does rust in a way. It's just much slower.~_ Magpie nodded thoughtfully. Well, she didn't need to fully understand why the pump wasn't functioning. It would be enough to bring it back to how it had been. She scrawled an alchemic sigil on the side of the pump and focused her will on making it remember what it had been, when it was brand new and shining…

The lines of her drawing flashed blue and Magpie blinked as the pump suddenly changed. It was shiny and perfect, gleaming brightly in the sun. Fascinated, she leaned closer and saw that she could make out even the makers marks.

_~See if it works.~_ Allisa prompted her and Magpie smiled as she began turning the crank. For a while it seemed nothing would happen. But then the pump sputtered and water gushed out. Brackish, slightly foul water but water all the same. She kept turning until the water finally ran clean. Taking a moment to rest, Magpie picked up her basket and went back to the bazaar.

"The pump is working." She announced loudly. "I have fixed it." She had thought about claiming it was a miracle then decided against it. If there were dozens of 'miracles' people would get suspicious. She might as well claim the credit.

"Liar!" Someone hooted at her. Magpie set her jaw. Many people were ignoring her, which was worse. "What would you know of pumps, girl?" Ah, another Il. Probably an outcaste of some sort and he probably couldn't give a woman credit for knowing anything.

"I have been studying alchemy. Go see for yourself if you do not believe me." She said stoutly. Some people laughed but a few cautiously went to investigate. Magpie walked away then paused to examine a display of cheap jewelry. She wanted to be present to hear –

"The pump is working!" A man came running back, soaking wet and laughing. "There is water! Water!" That finally caught everyone's attention and Magpie was completely ignored in the stampede to the well. She hoped they would not break it again. Threading her way out of the bazaar she went back to the boarding house.

"They are still sick?" Magpie clicked her tongue against her teeth as she set the basket on the floor by their table. A few of the other tables were taken now, filled by Ishvalans getting some lunch. Most of them had the look of men accustomed to hard labor. Greed and Martel were quite out of place, especially since the blonde woman had a cloth over her eyes to shield them from the sun.

"Not really." Greed grunted as he stirred and sat up. Magpie thought he still looked very pale. "What you got there?" He rubbed his face and she began unfolding the garments.

"Clothes for the two of you." She jerked her chin at the Ishvalan's as Greed looked at her blankly. "Everyone wears them, and Martel will need them or she'll burn." Greed glanced around the room, blinked then nodded.

"Right." He took the larger robe and pulled it on. The attached hood was loose and would work well in the desert heat, although it was not what an Il would have worn. "Hmm. Not bad." Greed muttered as he looked himself over and Magpie couldn't help but smile. The black robe came with a red cloth and the colors definitely suited him. Martel's, which she eeled into easily, was a dark green. Magpie herself was wearing brown with a turquoise belt.

"So what are we doing now?" She asked the two of them as she took a seat. "We could stay here. It would be safe enough."

"No." Magpie and Martel both looked at Greed. There was something strange in his voice. "We can't stay longer than a week. We have to go back to Amestris."

"Amestris?" Magpie felt stunned. "Greed, Fuhrer Bradley knows about us! We'd be in the greatest danger there. We should probably go to Xing!" She only hadn't suggested it because of the troubles there. Xerxes might be safer although they would likely be working hard for their supper. Thieving was a popular but not really fruitful pastime here, since no one had much of anything. Greed avoided her gaze and Magpie suddenly had a suspicion. "Perhaps you should tell us the truth." She said quietly. "Why did you desire immortality?" The look he gave her was angry and tense.

"Who wouldn't…" He started then stopped. Magpie crossed her arms and tried to give him the same look her mother had used whenever she was about to evade the truth. Because Greed wasn't lying, exactly, but he wasn't telling the whole truth. She was sure of it. "Okay, fine." Greed glanced around. "Can you make it so no one's listening in?"

"Yes." Magpie said, a touch surprised. But one of her alchemists had specialized in spying techniques. She offered the knowledge willingly and Magpie scrawled a quick circle on the table in kavass. The alcohol burned quite nicely when it activated and she knew that anyone trying to listen in would still hear… but they would hear whatever they expected to hear, not what they were actually saying. That could lead them to manufacturing something interesting but it would not be the truth. "Now talk."

It took quite some time, but Greed talked. He told them about his father, the creation of the homunculi, and the purpose behind their creation. It was mind breaking and Magpie had to fight to believe. But one thing brought up a bitter anger in her. These monsters had been behind the Ishvalan civil war. That had cost her people dearly… did the transmutation circle extend a little beyond the boundaries of Amestris? Or had that merely been an accident? And did it even matter?

"This plan should work." Magpie said softly. Allisa and the others were struggling but they found the whole thing hideously plausible. It required thinking on a grand, multi-generational scale but humans had managed that. Of course a homunculus could. "But if he is trying to become a perfect being, how can he justify taking the souls of so many? Does he think God will look on this with approval?"

"Oi, who cares what God thinks?" Greed said but he sounded tired, not derisive. "Father isn't supplicated God. He's taking. All that power… with that kind of power I could do anything." Magpie lifted her eyebrows at that. He sounded like he truly wanted it. But then, he was Greed. Hm.

"Why is it all of the homunculi are named after sins?" She mused, following a side-track in her own mind. Perhaps it meant nothing but perhaps… perhaps it meant everything.

"He wanted to remove his sins to become more perfect." Greed answered and Magpie nodded. It was as she had thought. "And make himself little helpers too. Obedient to his every whim… most of them dance to his tune like he's already a god. Hah! I'd die first." Magpie nodded again, resting her chin in her hand for a moment as she thought.

"He's right about humans. We are weak, flawed, prone to every vice." She glanced over the people in the inn. To think so many of their kin had been used to create this Crest of Blood. "But the priests of the Il say God made us that way on purpose, so we would have something to strive for. Because without any sins, there would be nowhere to go, nothing to achieve. And so our virtue would have no worth." Magpie took a deep breath then as she articulated her thought. "But your Father has removed his sins, banished them from himself. It's not the same as surpassing them." Greed and Martel were staring at her now. Was it not clear? She thought it was. "That is a weakness. Perhaps a very great one."

_~You are absolutely right, dear. Theoretically at least. Carrying out that thought might be extremely dangerous. Well, unless you were willing to use Greed. But I would assume not.~_ Allisa sounded amused and Magpie winced. No, she was not even going to consider that.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." Greed sounded annoyed with her and Magpie couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't you? How did I speak to you in the sewer?" She asked before reaching out to find his Stone again. "Like calls to like. I can perceive your Philosopher's Stone." In fact, now she could see it. It was a bit frightening looking. Glancing down at herself she saw that hers looked quite a bit different. Strange. But there was a line coming off Greed's stone, stretching somewhere far away. "And I can do this –" She reached out and touched that line with a single mental finger.

_~No!~_ Allisa cried as Greed lurched forward with a choked gasp. Magpie jerked her spiritual hand away as she felt a terrible vibration on that line. To her horror, she saw Greed's stone vibrating in time with it. Hurriedly, she padded her mental hands and tried to still the vibrations. Sweat had broken out all over Greed's face and he was gripping his chest like something was trying to claw its way out. She felt horribly guilty. She'd meant to tease him, not hurt him!

"What did you do to him?" Martel's hand on her shoulder jerked her to the side and Magpie flinched as the woman moved as if to slap her.

"Martel, no." Greed's voice was choked but full of emotion. Magpie expected him to sound furious but he sounded – excited? "Do that again."

"What?" Magpie and Martel both stared at him as he grinned. It was excited and a bit insane.

"Do that again! Free me!" He demanded and Magpie swallowed as she realized what he meant. That was his tie to Father, the power that bound him to remain close. And it had to be doing more than that. If Father didn't know where Greed was, at least in a general sense, Magpie would eat her robe. That was the most direct application of the law of contagion she'd ever seen.

"Greed, no." She said weakly. "The tie… it vibrates when I touch it. I think it would tear you apart! But I can find a way. Let me work on it a while. Let us work on it a while." She amended as she felt a great interest stir. The alchemists inside her were already conferring. Greed growled at her, then suddenly laughed.

"You have a week, Librarian. Now if you'll both excuse me…" He swept to his feet, fully in control of himself again. "I need to top up my stone a bit." Martel followed close behind him as he left the inn and Magpie settled into her seat with a sigh as she tried to think.

A week wasn't much. She would have to figure this out quickly.


	9. Lost Souls

So, there I was, no shit…

Xerxes was a pesthole. Disgusting, vile, armpit of the world. The smell was enough to knock me off my feet. You think I'm kidding? Come take whiff. Make sure you stand way back. Didn't anyone ever wash in this place?

Anyway. Bathing aside, this was a great place to top off my Stone. Just walk around looking clueless and someone'll jump ya. Martel and I got our weapons wet a good dozen times before the night was over, and I sure as hell needed it. What kind of homunculus had that Bradley asshole been anyway? We don't age… unless he was bullshitting me about age affecting his abilities? Trying to put me off my guard? Could be.

"Greed?" I glanced at Martel. She was still looking a bit shaky. Not surprising, it was the first time I'd ever levelled to any of the gang about what was going on. "If the Librarian can fix your problem, are we still going back to Amestris?"

"Um." That was a bit of a question. I didn't like Amestris much, but I'd never had much of an occasion to go anywhere else. I fit in there, though, and I might not fit in too well somewhere else. "We could stay here." I could probably fit in just fine in Xerxes. Martel made a face at me. "What, don't you like guys who smell like camel butt?"

"No! Doesn't anyone take a bath around here?" She asked and I shrugged. It sure didn't look like it. "And what would we do? I don't think anyone's hiring mercenaries." She had a point there. "And there's nothing to steal that's worth it." Definitely a point. Poor didn't begin to describe this place. Dirt poor, poverty stricken, not a pot to piss in… yeah, that was getting there.

"If Magpie and that friend of hers get their way, this place won't be poor forever." Was I willing to wait for that though? No. Besides, it wouldn't be any good anyway. This place was right next to Amestris and when Father got his godhood, would he leave it alone? Yeah, as if. "We have to go back. We need to do something about the nationwide transmutation circle." Not because I gave a shit about anyone else, because I didn't. But if Father got his way that meant I couldn't have my desires. There would be no room for anything but what he wanted. That's the way shit always goes down with him.

"And get our revenge." She said and I blinked. Revenge? That wasn't something I usually did but… yeah. Yeah, I wanted that. I wanted to make Fuhrer Bradley pay for what he'd done to my boys. They were mine. No one takes what's mine.

"Revenge sounds good. But we need to see if Magpie's in for it." If the Librarian didn't want to come, well, we could still try but our chances weren't so good. With her things would be a lot easier. Martel sniggered.

"It'll be up to you to keep her happy, Greed." I glowered a bit at her then laughed. She was right.

"Not a problem." The day I couldn't keep a woman happy was the day I'd hang up my hat. If I had a hat. You get the drift. It did probably mean I'd have to devote most of my attention to her, but that was hardly a hardship. I wanted the Librarian to be mine, too. Was she yet? Not really, but she would be. "Let's go back and get some sleep. See if she's come up with anything yet." When we got back to the boarding house, the Librarian was taking a break and sipping a glass of kavass. Gah. Well, we all have bad habits I guess. I took a seat as Martel went to talk to the bartender. It was some young Ishvalan guy I'd never seen before, looked a bit wet behind the ears. But he gave her a couple glasses of something.

"So what's the news?" I asked as I looked over the bar and shuddered a little. They were ALL sipping that horrible stuff. How could they stand it? Magpie sighed and set down her glass.

"It hasn't been going too well. I worked on the problem all morning, then took a break and repaired another pump." She reached up to rub her forehead, leaning back in her chair. That made her boobs perk up a bit, even under that robe. Nice. "I may have to forge a link between the two of us to sever the one with your Father." That got my mind off her tits pretty fast.

"Woah, what?" I was less than charmed by the idea. "I'm not trading one master for another!" I snapped and Magpie stiffened, glaring at me. Uh oh. "I mean, I like you better than Father." I tried for a slightly conciliatory tone. "But I don't like wearing a leash." That made her take a deep breath and then a drink of kavass.

"I understand." I wondered if she did. I've known a few women over the years who would have loved to get a leash on me, if they could have. Like a dog marking its territory. I really hate that. "But it might be necessary. Part of the problem is that your stone is essential a piece of the larger one. Even if I break the tie, I'm afraid he'll be able to re-establish it unless I put in something to balance it." Magpie sipped her drink again and I looked up as Martel set something down in front of me. It smelled pretty odd.

"It's fermented camel milk." Martel explained as she took a seat. "It actually tastes like a thin yogurt, with just a bit of zest. It's good." Yogurt? I took a sip and savored it thoughtfully for a moment before deciding I liked it. It wasn't much compared to beer, of course, but this place seemed to be pretty short on grain.

"Thanks. Well, if you have to I guess you have to." I didn't like the idea but I'd take my chances with the Librarian. Hell, I could probably get her wrapped around my fingers if I tried. "But can you try to come up with something else first?" Magpie smiled at me. Such a pretty smile.

"I'll do my best." She promised and I believed her. "Love is best when it is not caged." That sounded like a quote. Love? Hm. That worried me. Was I that serious about her? Was she that serious about me? I wanted her a lot and wanted to make her mine, something to help fill up that raging emptiness inside me. But love was a human thing. Did I want her enough to embrace it? Maybe.

"Say, I haven't thanked you yet for coming back for us." I said, smiling at her as I drank my yogurt-whatsit. Her eyes darkened and she shook her head.

"I wish I had come sooner. I could have saved…" I grimaced as Martel took a sharp breath. Maybe, but maybe not. I remembered how fast Bradley took down Magpie the first time. How could she have saved Roa and Dolcetto?

"It wasn't your business at all." Martel said firmly and I was a bit surprised. "We're just glad you came at all."

"Yeah, that's right." I said. Martel was dead right. We'd dragged the woman into something that might cost her everything in the end. Yeah, she had a Philosopher's Stone and was technically immortal. So what? Father did too and his was every bit as impressive as hers. I wondered if Magpie had thought about that? Probably. No, certainly, after the way she'd reacted when she found out about Fuhrer Bradley. "It was our mess and we pulled you into it. So thank you. And I'd like to show you how much I appreciate it." Not the smoothest pickup line but when I took her hand and grinned at her, she got the message.

"I would love that." She murmured, than smiled again. Yum. "Finish your milk first." Wah – oh. Hah. I drank it quickly as Magpie polished off her glass of liquor. When we went upstairs I walked up behind her so I could watch her butt. Even through those robes, it was a beautiful sight.

This was going to be a good night.

hr

Magpie smiled as she looked at the man beside her. Greed was sleeping and she took the time to just study him. He looked so relaxed and content. Not really innocent though. Most people looked innocent in their sleep, but it simply wasn't part of Greed's nature.

_~Not that, no. Are you sure about this?~_ Magpie cocked her head to one side. There was a strange ambivalence in Allisa's tone. ~_I fear you may be truly falling in love with him.~_

"You think he will break my heart?" Magpie whispered, amused by the thought. "But do I even have a heart to break?" She sometimes wondered. She rarely felt strongly about things, except for her obsession with the past. And now even that was fading. Allisa sniffed at her.

_~Of course you do! What kind of a question is that? If he left you tomorrow wouldn't it hurt?~_ She demanded and Magpie bit her lip. It would hurt a lot in fact. Perhaps she was the one deluding herself.

"It is too much to think about. I will take life as it comes." She said as she pulled the blanket over them both. Greed did not seem to feel the cold, but the desert got very chilly at night.

_~I will see to this.~_ Magpie was beginning to doze off and did not question what Allisa meant by that. But she did wonder. What could a disembodied spirit do for her love life?

Perhaps she would find out tomorrow.

hr

I turned around slowly, feeling disoriented. What was this place?

It was sort of like my own Philosopher's Stone. I'd been there before, of course, although I hardly ever thought about it. It was a vortex of anguished souls, crying out to be released into their final deaths. Not exactly cheery and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it so why bother? But this place was different. It was like I was floating in a chilly wasteland, full of cold black fogs that numbed my mind and made it hard to think. Souls were drifting around me. Some were dense and centred and I could tell they were still thinking and feeling. Most were diffuse and uncaring, lost in a kind of mindless daze. What was this place?

_~This is Magpie's Philosopher's Stone, as it was before she bonded to it.~_ I turned to see another soul. This was one of the dense ones and as I watched, things began to change. The scene turned into a pretty villa made of golden stone, with lots of carving and ivy. The soul in front of me turned into a beautiful woman and I appreciated that. She looked like a goddess, with that long golden hair, those big blue eyes and a body that could make a monk cry at the unfairness of it all. She also looked annoyed at me. Whoops, had I been a bit too obvious there? I gave her my trademark grin and she smiled back reluctantly. Oh yeah, Greed does it again. "I'm Allisa Star-Caller."

"Allisa?" I remembered that name. Magpie must have used it. "One of the souls in the stone, right. So why am I here and what do you want with me?" This was pretty damn curious. And why was Magpie's stone so different than mine? That was weird.

"I want to know if your intentions are honorable." I snorted, trying to hold it back. Oh fuck it… I laughed my ass off as the woman crossed her arms and stared at me. Ohhh someone's pissed.

"Honorable? I'm Greed the Avaricious! I don't do honorable. You want to try that again?" I grinned at her again and I caught that twitch of a smile on her lips. She liked me, I could tell.

"You are a terrible man." She observed and I crossed my arms, taking a cocky pose. The woman had no idea. "I fear Magpie is getting truly attached to you. She thinks she's so calm and logical and ignores her deeper emotions." Allisa sounded a bit ticked at Magpie now. Hmm, so the Librarian really liked me? That could be very useful. "I know what you're thinking. You want to use her." Whoops, a bit transparent there. "You should be aware that there are consequences to every action."

"Are you threatening me?" I glanced around the little paradise she had created. A playpen of the mind, was all it was. "What do you think you can do to me? You're nothing but a lost soul." She smiled then and it wasn't a nice smile. In fact, it was pretty damn nasty. I started to call up my shield but then realized that was pointless and stupid. This was all a dream in Magpie's Philosopher's St –

I yelped as something stung me in the arm. I turned but it was gone. No… I was seeing something in the corner of my eye. I called in my shield anyway but it didn't do a damn thing when something else stung me, this time on my shoulder. I snarled and turned and this time I caught a glimpse of something red as blood. Another soul? Yes. I tried to strike out at it with my claws but it vanished away.

It wasn't the only thing that was vanishing. The dream palace was melting away and I gave up my dream body, taking the true form of my Philosopher's Stone. But that made me realize I was in some deep-ass trouble. Souls were swirling around me and there were a lot of them, more than in my stone. The dazed ones were being moved around like cattle by the ones who could think, and they were all centering on me. I lunged at one of the smart ones and managed to grab it. It wailed as I began absorbing it. No, wait, that wasn't the soul. It was…?

_~Magpie.~_ I let the soul go like it was red hot and it vanished away from me. That was Magpie in pain, and I could somehow sense her, having a nightmare in her sleep. I really WAS inside her stone. How had Allisa done that?

_~So, you stopped as soon as you knew she was in pain. That is something.~_ Oh that pissed me off. Was this all a test? I almost thought about jumping the bitch but that would only hurt the Librarian. Well, that and Allisa was herding the largest section of souls. I'd be in some shit if I tried to jump that. _~But remember that we have many ways to make you suffer if you hurt her.~_

_~You're not her fucking father!~_ I snapped at the woman before I suddenly noticed something. If I dipped in a bit and twisted just like THIS I wasn't looking at Magpie's body from the outside. I was looking at it from a weird inside angle and I thought I could control her body a bit. Yeah, yeah I definitely could. And if I raised her hand like _this_ I could…

_~Stop that!~_ Allisa sounded pretty amused though and I grinned as I had Magpie fondling her own breasts. Okay, that wasn't very respectful and I probably should quit. It was fun as hell though. _~That is incredibly rude and Magpie's father would pursue you with a torch and a pitchfork.~_ I laughed at her. She was probably right, except it would be a sword, not a pitchfork. Not a lot of farming done in the desert. _~Well, we have given you our warning. Please go back to your own body.~ _Magpie's souls were pushing me out now and I didn't put up a fight. Her body was a nice place to visit but I sure didn't want to live there.

The next morning I might see about visiting it again.

hr

Magpie woke the next morning feeling refreshed but with a vague recollection of strange and unsettling nightmares. Greed was still asleep and didn't stir as she carefully extricated herself from the bed.

_~Let him sleep. Last night probably exhausted him.~_ Magpie tilted her head to one side, trying to understand that. Just last night's exertions would hardly have exhausted him and there was something about Allisa's tone… _~Pay attention to business, sweetie. You need to get back to work on that circle.~_

"So do you." Magpie was rapidly getting better and was developing her understanding of modern alchemy. Yet she was beginning to question whether or not she should rely on it too much. Without a doubt, modern alchemy was superior to the Zephronese when it came to combat or anything requiring speed. But Greed's information made her wonder. It was said a stranger from the East had introduced the principles of Alchemy to Amestris. Who had that stranger been and why had he done that? Greed couldn't say for certain but Magpie thought that had to be his father. If so, the reasons he had imparted the information would be self-centered at best and malicious at worst. It might be wise to depend more on her ancient knowledge than the modern and possibly tainted.

_~You should still learn it. We might be able to create a synthesis, and it is much better for combat. Leaving that aside, though, let's concentrate.~ _ Magpie nodded as she took a seat at a table in the bar. It wasn't an ideal place to work, but the rooms upstairs had no tables. The Ishvalan's gave her plenty of room and some disapproving looks, but no one stopped her.

She was creating a variation on the circle that had created her stone in the first place. It was not easy but she thought it would work. Resting her finger on the diagram she tested the power flow in a small part of the sketch. Magpie had to be very careful when doing that or she would rip the paper apart, but it gave her a feel for how things were doing. The Zephron arts seemed to be very much an art, in some ways, and making new runes involved a great deal of intuition. There was something wrong with this section and Magpie tapped her pencil against her lips.

She was still working when someone plunked something down on the table beside her. Startled, Magpie looked up and saw it was Martel. She'd brought a plate of boiled tuzroe with a single egg for garnish. Not what Magpie wanted for breakfast, but she had to make do. And, in all honesty, it was surprising there was an egg.

"Thank you." She said with a smile and decided to eat before she continued working. Being famished never helped anything. Martel sat across from her and Magpie wondered. She scarcely knew the other woman. "Tell me, where are you from?" Martel took a bite of her food before shrugging.

"A little village named Masta. You've probably never heard of it." Magpie had to admit that she hadn't. "It's in the South. Nothing ever happens there, and I got tired of my mother telling me my cooking wasn't good enough and I'd never get a man. So I joined the army." Magpie choked a little at that. Never get a man? Martel was lovely! Although if her cooking was bad enough that would be a deterrent. "I was wounded in the Ishval civil war and got used in Chimera experiments. They fused me with a rattlesnake."

"A snake?" That was interesting. The alchemists insider her informed her that while the Zephronese had experimented with such things – they had not been a peaceful country – there had been no great success before Xerxes destroyed them. "Do you have any poison?" That would be very useful but Martel shook her head.

"No. I can contort myself to fit into any space, though." That was a bit useful but less so. Magpie wondered why the alchemists running that project had used a snake. Snake's appeared to move quickly but it was largely an illusion caused by their lightning fast strikes. And a human with very good reflexes could equal those. "What about you? You're from the desert, obviously." Magpie nodded.

"I was born at Atanita Oasis. It was our one permanent encampment." Magpie sighed as she thought of it. "Our priests always had trouble teaching their apprentices on the move. It seemed – prudent – to have at least one permanent home for our people. It proved to be a mistake when the Ishvalan civil war broke out. The oasis was destroyed, along with one whole clan and our greatest priests." That had been a loss beyond words for their people. Compared to the number of Ishvalans killed, the number of Il lost had been small. But it had been nearly a quarter of their people. Magpie shook it aside. It was old history, although all Il harbored a bitter anger over it. "My clan is a small and rather poor one. My father anticipated bettering his fortunes by demanding a high bridal price for me… Il love white skin, and it shows up very rarely, you see. I objected and ran away." Magpie smiled then. "I stole a camel, too. Father must have been furious but he did not manage to catch me before the priests labelled me outcaste." Magpie doubted her father had requested that of the priests. He would certainly have preferred to catch his lovely daughter and beat her into submission before wedding her off. Unfortunately for him, he could not hide her disappearance and the priests could act independently. They took a dim view of girls disobeying their fathers and thieving camels. And now that she was outcaste, no Il would offer her marriage so her father's hopes were dust and ashes.

"Hm." Martel stretched, then took a drink of water to clear away the taste of the tuzroe. "I would have run away from that too. When do you think you'll be done that?" She pointed at the diagram and Magpie sighed as she turned her attention back to it.

"A few days if it's going to work at all." If it didn't, then they would probably have to go back to Amestris and try there. That would be dangerous though and Magpie was becoming increasingly concerned about the state of her finances. Money was going out but nothing was coming in. "Do you and Greed and have any money? We can't live on my savings forever."

"Not here, but if we ever go back to Dublith some of our stashes are probably still intact. Everything in the Devil's Nest will have been confiscated though." Martel looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "Could you teleport back and get the stuff?" Magpie shivered as she remembered Truth.

"No. The last teleport cost me the soul of the caster and a visit before God. Another might cost me anything." She really didn't want to think about it. Martel looked sceptical and Magpie wondered if she believed in God. Magpie herself had always believed a bit, but now she believed fervently. And just as fervently hoped that God would not notice her.

"Well, if you say so. Me and Greed could try to make some money here, but it'd be hard. Not even the thieves have much." Martel sounded disgusted and Magpie had to smile. "Greed could get work helping on those aqueducts I guess, but it would be the first time in his life he's done honest work."

"Honest work? Isn't that a disease?" Magpie turned with a warm smile at the familiar voice. Greed was standing on the stairs, in his familiar fur ruff jacket and tight pants. It made him look very tasty. Also out of place, but breakfast was always very empty at Miyoki's. She really only served it for the boarders. He yawned widely and rubbed his neck as he walked over. "God, more of that horrible stuff? Is this all you people eat?"

"No, but it's easy to grow and very nutritious." Reminded, Magpie took another piece of tuzroe. It was growing cold but the flavour was just as bad no matter the temperature. "Imagine trying to get a child to eat it. I think that's why the Il beat their children so much." Magpie had observed other people since she'd left her own culture, and she thought the Il's physical discipline was a bit excessive. On the other hand, tuzroe was often the only vegetable they had and getting children to eat it was pure torture. Greed laughed and took a piece, swallowing it without a single chew. Hmm. Magpie tried to emulate him and nearly choked. Martel pounded her on the back until she spat the slimy root into her palm. "Yeck. That was even worse." Resigning herself to tasting it, she ate the root properly as Greed laughed.

"Not the sexiest thing you've ever done, Librarian! Now how's that thing coming?" He pointed to the pattern and Magpie spread it out a bit, keeping the plates well off it. That made the table crowded but no one much cared.

"Fairly well, I should have it ready in a few days. But Greed…" Magpie bit her lip as she looked at the homunculus. He looked so hopeful. She didn't want to dash those hopes but he had to know. "If I do this right, this is going to hurt. Possibly a lot. And there's a very good chance the souls inside you will try to rebel and seize control of your body." He blinked at her and Magpie shrugged. "The only thing I could think to do was make your Stone more like mine. Then I might be able to break Father's tie without shattering you. But that means your souls will have more autonomy and they will experience life through you." Greed suddenly grinned at her.

"Oh yeah? Have we been having an audience at night?" He said, amused, and Magpie turned a delicate pink as she thought about that. She'd known it was happening, of course, but she'd just refused to think about it at all. It was embarrassing! "What does the audience think, hey?"

_~We're all very impressed. Except for some of the men, who feel pitifully inadequate.~ _Allisa said and Magpie choked. But it was too good to pass up and she repeated the quote, verbatim, to Greed and Martel. They both laughed and Magpie smiled ruefully. It was still embarrassing, but it was nice to have everyone so cheerful.

Hopefully they would still be cheerful when she worked on Greed's stone.


	10. Powers Lost and Powers Gained

I grunted, taking a whiff of my own sleeve. Yuck.

"We're really starting to fit in here." I told Martel, who looked disgusted. I couldn't really blame her. We were both helping out on the aqueducts, which actually didn't pay much of anything. But the people running this clusterfuck tried to keep everyone fed and housed, which was better than most of the city. They'd arranged to pay Miyoki, who was giving them a discount right back, as long as we put in some good work. It was all nice and friendly but I was starting to feel like Sloth. Poor bastard.

"Why didn't anyone mention that the reason people don't bathe here is because there's no water?" I laughed at Martel's ticked tone. "Well, I would have been more careful with these robes!" She'd spilled some kavass on them a few days ago and it had sure stank for a while.

"Yeah, well, if the Librarian repairs more pumps maybe we'll get a bath someday." I wasn't going to suggest it to her though. She was busy working on my circle. And anyway, the three pumps she'd already fixed were helping a lot. No one was dying of thirst and they were using oxen to bring out great big water tanks to the fields and use them on the crops. There still wasn't enough water for bathing though. "In the meantime, we won't die of our own stink." It sure did feel like it sometimes, though. I took a deep drink of lukewarm water and wished it was cold. The water was pretty cold when it came out of a pump, but the stuff took a while to get here. Sitting up, I took a look at the aqueduct.

It was noon in Xerxes, so all us workers were taking a siesta. Nice umbrellas and shelters had been set up to give us shade, and there was plenty of food and water. A lot of the other men were taking naps. The aqueduct was made of white stone, and it had half-collapsed from neglect a long time ago. The thing was dry as a bone though which made me wonder. Where was the water supposed to come from? But that was probably too much for my feeble brain. I'd leave it to the Ishvalan's, they'd probably forgotten more about irrigation than I'd ever know. Crop fields stretched out around it. I'd been told this was the final stretch, once we repaired this part it would be done and the water would be flowing.

I couldn't wait. Rocks seemed to come in two sizes, too big and too small. The small ones we gathered up with baskets, which was a pain. The big ones we hauled out by hand, sometimes with as many as six of us doing the hauling. That was also a pain. Martel wasn't helping with that, though. There were plenty of women working but most of 'em were making the channels that would carry the water from the aqueduct to the fields. It was all masonry work and pretty painstaking. Martel was mostly holding things in place for them as they worked, and mixing up the stuff they used to glue it all together. I didn't pretend to understand it but the whole thing was shaping up well.

There was a loud whistle and I got up with a groan, glancing at the sun. Yeah, it was well past zenith. Time to get back to work. I wondered how Magpie was coming with the circle. As soon as that was done, we could get back to Amestris. Was I actually looking forward to that? Yeah, I was. Surprising how moving rocks for a while could put everything into perspective.

"What's the crops they're growing?" I asked a monk looking guy as we hauled a big rock out of the mess. I'm a homunculus, so I can talk and do stuff like that. Awesome I know.

"Moni bean, mostly." He said, hardly breathing hard as we heaved the rock into the pile. I was impressed. "It grows in dry conditions almost as well as tuzroe."

"Oh yeah?" I looked at the plants for a moment skeptically. They were kind of weird looking, with greyish green, waxy leaves and long, dangling pods. A lot of the women were watering them by hand. "I've never heard of them." The monk laughed as we started heading back for more rocks. My life was nothing but rocks.

"That's because they're not edible until you ferment them." He stared shovelling little rocks into a basket and I pitched in. It didn't take long before we were both carrying out baskets. Which rocks did I hate the most, the little ones or the big ones? I finally decided I hated the little ones more. They were a damn nuisance getting in the basket. "And then they have this horrible blackish yellow color and smell like socks. Puts most people off."

"Uh, yeah." I could totally see that. Socks? There were really expensive cheeses that smelled like socks and I didn't like them either. "What does it taste like?" I was genuinely curious now. He shrugged.

"When you rinse it twice, not much of anything. We use it as a base for very spicy foods. The rest of the crop is mostly tomato and peppers." We heaved the fucking rocks off to the side, putting them in the pile. The masons would go to work on them, seeing which could be used and which would be tossed. Anything that had to be tossed would be replaced with stone from the rest of Xerxes. Plenty of abandoned buildings just waiting to be ripped to pieces.

"Doesn't sound bad." In fact, that made me wonder if I'd eaten it before. I'd eaten Ishvalan style stews before and they sometimes had this weird stuff I'd thought was meat, but maybe it wasn't. It had always been really soft. We carried the baskets back and started getting another load of rocks. As we worked I glanced over the collapsed aqueduct. There was real progress happening, I could see it, but it was still too damn slow for my taste. I hoped the Librarian would be done her circle soon.

I really wanted to get out of Xerxes.

* * *

><p>Magpie sighed as she wiped away a bead of sweat from her nose.<p>

She was hard at work inscribing the transmutation circle into stone. Miyoki had reluctantly allowed her to do the work in her attic, on the condition that the circle be destroyed after its use. Magpie had immediately agreed since she'd intended to do that anyway. The work was painstaking and difficult, largely due to the fact that Magpie was using a hammer and chisel. Greed would have to lie down on the circle and she had decided that she could not take the chance that anything would damage the lines. All the alchemists within her agreed. There was a reason the great circle that had created her stone had been built out of permanent structures and great civic works. Even this smaller, simplified version needed some kind of permanence.

"But it's nothing a good claw hammer won't fix." Magpie murmured herself as she positioned the chisel again. Afterwards, she would just smash it. A bit more work with the chisel and it would be defaced beyond any retrieving. Except with alchemy, perhaps, but nothing was perfect.

"Magpie?" She lifted her head, inhaling deeply as she caught the odor of muskmelon. Greed was carrying a small one that looked freshly picked and she eyed it in surprise. Melons were easy to grow if you had the soil and water for them, but she hadn't thought anyone had put them in yet. "Are you hungry? Miyoki says you skipped lunch." Magpie blinked as she realized her stomach was empty and protesting bitterly.

"I am, actually. Where did you get that?" She moved closer, carefully avoiding her diagram as he cut into the fresh fruit. "And where is Martel?" She was almost always with Greed, these days, but at the moment she wasn't around.

"She's getting some supper from Miyoki." Greed passed her a slice and Magpie bit into it with a sensual delight. The Il always raised melons at their oasis settlements and she had sorely missed them over the years. Amestris didn't seem to favor them, possibly because the Ishvalans loved them as much as the Il. It sometimes struck her as strange, how the two groups had so much in common despite the massive differences between them. "They gave me this at quitting time."

"You must have impressed them." Magpie was a bit surprised. That was the sort of reward the Ishvalans would give to a particularly hard worker. Greed shrugged, taking a bite of the melon as he looked over the circle.

"I can work when I have to, and who knows? Impressing these ragged farmers might be useful if I need a bolt hole. There are Ishvalan slums everywhere." He said and Magpie hid her smile behind another piece of fruit. She suspected Greed was not quite as self-centered as he appeared. She also thought that laziness was simply not part of his nature. The man knew how to relax, but he also liked to be doing something. It was a good thing and Magpie definitely approved. "Are you almost done?"

"Yes. I'll be done tonight." She said and he grinned. That made Magpie bite her lip and interject a note of caution. "Greed, the way I'm trying to do this is to convert your stone into one that follows my pattern. I mean to strengthen it as well, with many souls from my stone." There was really no choice in that. If she didn't strengthen his stone, it wouldn't survive the transformation. "A few sentient souls are going to make the switch from mine to yours. They will try to dominate you." That caused her no small anxiety. Greed probably couldn't sever his life the way she'd threatened to sever hers. He would have to be more hands on with his battle. The homunculus laughed at her.

"Librarian, if I can't handle them I deserve to be dominated! But it's not going to happen. I'm Greed, and I'm stronger than any of your lost souls." He assured her and Magpie had to be content with that. A dark part of her wondered if he thought so because she had done it, and she was only a human woman. The rest of her tried to stuff that suspicion into a deep, dark hole. It was an unworthy thought and most certainly untrue. Greed was not like that.

_~It's your family background acting up, dear. Don't worry about it.~_ Magpie decided Allisa was right and finished her fruit. Picking up the hammer and chisel, she began laying in the final lines of the circle. Greed watched her, interested, as he munched on the rest of the melon.

"I've never seen someone make an alchemist circle with a chisel before." He commented and Magpie smiled as she made the final stroke and stood, looking over the pattern. It was done, and done well. She could see a few minor flaws, but they would have no real impact on the final use.

"You've probably never seen this either." Magpie said absently as she dug a finger deeply into her own wrist. It was painful, but she separated a chunk of flesh from herself and clenched it tightly in her hand. Greed stared, shocked and appalled, then blinked as she opened her hand to show him a glowing red stone.

"Is that…?" Ignoring the ugly pool of blood in her hand, he reached out to touch the stone. But Magpie drew her hand away as she nodded.

"It's a Philosopher's Stone." She gently placed the stone at one curve of the diagram. Then she repeated the process five more times. It didn't get any better with repetition and a modern alchemist would have been quite puzzled by the lack of a proper circle pattern. But the ways of the Zephronese were different. "There." Magpie panted slightly, feeling a bit nauseated. The loss of the souls was nothing, but it was still a bit of a strain. Greed offered her a flask and Magpie took a drink gratefully. The water was warm and metallic but it still helped settle her stomach. "Are you ready?"

"No." Magpie blinked at him, surprised, and Greed grinned. "I need to go get Martel. She'll skin me if she's not here for this."

"Oh. Yes, of course." Magpie sat down as Greed opened the trapdoor, sliding down the ladder easily. She sipped the water until the man came back, Martel in tow. The chimera woman went up the ladder with a grace Magpie could only admire. But then, being part snake probably did help with dexterity.

"Now I'm ready." Greed took his place in the diagram and Magpie drew a deep breath. This… could get ugly. Centering herself she knelt and touched the pattern, activating it. Bright red light sprung up from the curling lines and the Philosopher's Stones suddenly melted away, flowing to the centre.

Magpie felt her awareness fuse with the circle, carried along by the stones that had once been part of her. She could perceive Greed's stone so clearly, it might have been lying on a table in front of her. Feeling almost in a dream, she let the circle begin molding the stone to the proper image. But she kept a firm grip on the pace of change, squeezing down the flow of power until it was something Greed could bear without shattering. The connection to his Father throbbed and Magpie began gently sawing on it, trying to separate it from him as the very nature of his stone changed. She could sense Greed's anguish but could not let it distract her. Finally the thread separated and Magpie could feel the fissures running through his stone. They were growing deeper, radiating out from that weak point and soon the souls would spill forth –

_~No.~_ Giving up on her first ambition, Magpie replaced the tie with one of her own. It was just not possible to make Greed completely self-sufficient. His stone hadn't been designed that way and the 'hole' created from breaking his Father's hold had to be patched with something of equal strength. _~I pray he doesn't hate me for this.~_ Magpie said to Allisa. The other woman was acting as another set of hands, directing the flow of power as Magpie worked on the connection.

_~He undoubtedly felt himself begin to die as you broke the connection. I wouldn't worry too much.~_ Allisa said absently and Magpie nodded to herself, a bit reassured. Although that made her worry about what Greed was experiencing. _~Hush child. We're nearly done and it's only taken a minute, you know.~_

_~It has?~_ That was surprising. To Magpie, it felt like she had been working for hours. The power of the circle was petering away now and the last souls merged with Greed. Magpie looked at his stone critically. It was much denser and darker now, yet less turbulent. She could sense the same cool darkness inside it that filled her own stone and wondered what effect that would have on the souls Greed already contained. If they were truly mindless, they probably wouldn't even notice. But if any of them retained individuality they would exert it now.

_~It has, and you can do no more. It's time to break connection.~_ Allisa reminded her and Magpie sighed as she returned to her flesh and blood body. She wasn't surprised to see that Greed was lying on his side, with a fresh smear of blood on his face. Martel was crouched beside the diagram, unwilling to break it but clearly frustrated by her helplessness in the face of his pain.

"It's done." Magpie forced herself up as Martel darted forward, lifting Greed's head and checking him for damage.

"He's bitten through his lip and it's not healing. Why isn't it healing?" The blonde woman sounded distraught and Magpie grimaced to herself. The circle's work had probably been a horrible thing to watch.

"Probably because he hasn't asserted control over his new stone yet." Magpie said, remembering. "I bit through my tongue, when I bonded to mine. It didn't heal until much later." That had been one of the first things she'd done, healing her tongue. It would have taken weeks otherwise. "All we can do is clean him up." Greed seemed to be completely comatose. Martel took a deep breath, getting control over herself.

"Right." She took an almost clean rag and began cleaning off the blood as Magpie began defacing the circle. "Magpie?" She glanced up to see Martel looking at her evenly. "What will we do if he doesn't win?" She bit her lip at the thought. She hadn't wanted to bring it up to Greed, but it was an important question.

"I don't know." She finally said. "See if the winner is someone we can deal with, I suppose." Martel didn't like that answer and Magpie couldn't blame her. But… "If he doesn't bond with the stone there's no way to force it." That first exercise of dominance was permanent, with these types of Philosopher's Stones. Greed would master the souls within him or he would be a lesser force. Perhaps the first among advisors, like Allisa, but not the one in the driver's seat. Magpie wondered if he would be able to stand that. Or would he become a thorn in the side of the winner, until he was banished like the King? It was hard to say –

"Ow fuck." Magpie and Martel both stared as Greed began to stir. "That was the most fucking horrible thing that's ever happened to me in my life." Greed's voice was hoarse and shaky but Magpie felt a great relief. He still sounded like Greed. "And who was that douchebag in the red feathers?"

"Huh?" Magpie blinked then suddenly checked her own stone. Sure enough… "The King!" She was incensed, both at his audacity and at herself for missing the fact that he'd hitched a ride on the stones she'd given to Greed. "I hope you hurt him." She knelt to one side and Martel on the other, both of them helping Greed to sit up. The homunculus lifted hand, wiping away a bit of still oozing blood before he ventured a weak laugh.

"I spanked him like a red headed stepchild. Oh god…" Magpie had to brace herself as Greed's weight suddenly fell on her as Martel gripped his arm. "I'm tied to you now. I can feel it." He muttered and Magpie felt the tips of her ears heat. "Don't worry about it, I know you had to."

"Thank you." Magpie felt very relieved although that made her wonder. Had Greed heard her talking to Allisa? Quite likely he had. She and Martel helped Greed get to his feet, steadying him as he went down the ladder. "Would you like to go to bed?" She thought that would probably be best. He flashed her a grin that warmed her to the tips of her toes.

"Only if you're there with me." The promise in his voice made her smile and shake her head.

"Silly man. How could you possibly be in any condition for that?" She asked and Greed laughed, gripping her shoulder.

"Try me." He said with that endearing grin. Martel laughed behind them and Magpie smiled at the sound. She doubted he really could, but she was certainly willing to see.

One way or another, it would be a fine night.

* * *

><p>Magpie belted up her robe as Greed struggled to fix his hood in place with his red scarf. There was a wicked wind blowing through the city, kicking up dirt and dust. Not a sandstorm – the sandy desert of Xerxes did not really allow for those – but a very unpleasant, gritty day. Magpie knew the crops would survive it just fine but that was no comfort for the people trying to work through the mess.<p>

"Let me." She finally said and took the scarf, easily folding it so it would cover his face. "There." Her own scarf was already in place. The Il often travelled through the sandy desert, and were all old hands at dealing with sandstorms.

"So what exactly do we need for this?" Greed asked as Magpie helped Martel with her scarf. The blonde woman almost had it right, but she'd been able to watch her helping Greed. "I've never travelled through the desert before but I've heard it sucks."

"It does." Magpie assured him, making him laugh. "But you have me, so it won't be that bad." He tilted his head to one side in a wordless inquiry. "I'm an Il, so I know all the locations of our secret wells. We don't reveal those to anyone, not even the Ishvalans." Nor did they write them down. Magpie carried the knowledge in her head, just like all the Il before her. But it was permissible to bring non-Il to the wells, so the secret was not so secure as all that. The Il mostly depended on the fact that very few outsiders could take note of the locations. They were well hidden. "We'll need either a donkey or a camel, to carry our supplies." They wouldn't need the kind of supplies Magpie did, when she was excavating. But they would need food and water. "A good tent, plenty of containers for water, all the necessities. Let me bargain, I'm very good at this." Magpie was rather looking forward to it.

"Okay, but let's start with the donkey. I've had enough of carrying crap to last me a lifetime." Greed said firmly and Martel laughed.

"Poor you! They had me stirring mortar our last day. You have no idea how my shoulders hurt!" They cheerfully wrangled over who had gotten the worst job and Magpie smiled as they walked. Despite the wind, the bazaar was open for business. Although most of the lighter items had been put under the counters, with only a few on display to let the viewer know what was being sold. Magpie glanced at on shirt and saw the seller had nailed it to the board. Crude, but effective, and no one here would care about a nail hole.

They weren't after clothing though. Magpie wished she could deal with the few Il merchants selling camels, but they would not speak to her. Instead, she had to settle for the thieves and liars handling the rest of the animals. She finally picked out a Xing man who seemed more reliable than the others. Although his first selections did not please her.

"That creature has heaves." She said to the trader severely. He gave her a wounded look then winced as the donkey coughed. "And the other one is lame. Let me see your selection." An ancient Zephronese horse trader quietly offered his expertise, and Magpie found it useful as the Xing man let her examine the beasts. "This one." She gently petted the nose of a particularly gentle female donkey. The seller grunted, glancing over Greed uneasily before giving his attention back to her.

"That's one of my best beasts. She won't be cheap." He warned and Magpie nodded. They went back and forth on the price for a while before settling on something they both could live with. And the trader sweetened the deal just a bit with some old but serviceable tack and bags.

After that things became more efficient. They all split up a bit, Greed and Martel doing their share of the bargaining and coming back to stow the purchases on their donkey. Some of the deals they got weren't as good as what Magpie could have managed, but she thought the trade-off in speed was worth it. They were mostly done their shopping when the sun began to set.

Unfortunately, night was when the riff-raff came out of hiding. Magpie tensed as she glanced around. They had taken a shortcut through the ruins back to Miyoki's boarding house, confident in numbers. But now she felt like someone was watching. She glanced at Greed and Martel and thought they felt it too, although they both seemed to be taking it calmly. But Martel's hand was near the knife at her belt. Magpie decided that was a good idea and reached for hers just as several forms stepped out of the shadows.

"Well, if it isn't the unnatural bitch." Magpie tensed as she recognized the man in front of them. His silvery eyes were quite unmistakable, and went strangely with his cherubic features, sparse beard and dreamy expression. To another Il there was nothing at all dreamy about those orbs, which darted around frenetically. It was truly unsettling, particularly when added to his reputation.

"Ransan. To what do I owe the honor?" Magpie asked with frigid courtesy as Greed crossed his arms and looked the men over with a cocky air. Blades glittered in the light of the evening and Martel's knife was out, hidden among her robes.

"Only your terrible choice in company, bitch." He said easily and Magpie saw Greed's eyes narrow. "So you're the one who's been killing my men." Magpie gave Greed a slightly surprised glance. He shrugged, unconcerned.

"If they were dumb enough to jump me, they deserve what they get. What's it to you?" Greed asked. Magpie swallowed as Ransan laughed. He was always at his most dangerous when he was happy. It made him unpredictable.

"Nothing! But now I seem to be lacking underlings. I think you should take their place. You can even keep your whores." He said generously. Magpie was very glad for the scarves then. She could only imagine what Martel's expression looked like. She could tell Greed was grinning behind his, but it wasn't a nice grin.

"And if I decline your generous offer?" Greed said easily then stared at his hands. Magpie stiffened as she felt his sudden consternation. Something was very, very wrong! Then a glitter caught her eye and an ancient warrior took control of her body, flipping her dagger into a throwing position.

"Well, then we will have to kill you and-" Magpie never heard what Ransan intended for them. She tossed her dagger in one fluid motion, taking the man with the bow square in the throat. Then she had to duck as a man screamed something foul and took a swing at her.

The rest dissolved into a chaotic melee. Magpie caught a glimpse of Greed strangling Ransan with his bare hands, and stabbed a man trying to stab the homunculus in the back. Martel was as effective as a panther, stalking through the men like death on two feet. Magpie was feeling almost confident when someone stabbed _her_ in the back.

"Argh!" She grunted in pain as the dagger twisted, trying to find her heart. But she called on her stone to strengthen her and jerked around to slice at the startled man behind her. Her robes were rapidly being dyed a bright crimson, but Magpie extracted the dagger, counting on her stone to heal her. Unnerved by that, the man who had hurt her broke and ran. As if that was some kind of bizarre signal, the other ruffians suddenly lost any desire to fight and began vanishing into the ally's. Although perhaps Ransan's purpling corpse had something to do with that. Magpie hunched over a moment, gasping, as her body healed and saw that Greed was doing the same. If he'd been a mortal man and not a homunculus, Ransan would have won. He was covered in wounds nearly as bad as hers.

"What did you do to my shield?" He suddenly demanded of her and Magpie blinked. Years spent in libraries doing research were as nothing.

"Shield?" She said blankly. "I don't know what you mean." Greed stared at her for a moment then ran a hand through his hair.

"Didn't you see me in the sewers?" He demanded and Magpie frowned. What was he talking about? She'd been rather busy at the time… "I'm The Ultimate Shield! It's what I do! It's…" Greed suddenly stopped and stared at his hands. "And what did you do with the Ouroboros?" Magpie followed his gaze and saw the tattoo on the back of his hand was gone. How had she not noticed before? But Greed's robes were a bit big and covered his hands slightly.

_~Oh, of course!~_ Magpie tilted her head at Allisa's sudden exclamation. _~Let me speak to him. I think I have it.~_ She hesitated a moment before surrendering her body to the ancient spirit. Allisa stepped forward and gripped Greed's hand, tracing the back of it in a way that made Magpie feel a touch jealous. Although that was fairly silly given that it was her body.

"This is Allisa. I think I understand. When you used this power, this Invincible Shield, how did you do it?" She asked and Greed gave her a look like she was insane before pulling his hand away with a frown.

"I harden the carbon in my skin to be an impenetrable shield." He said warily and Magpie could tell Allisa didn't really understand that. The concept of carbon being in skin was giving her trouble. "And I just do it. It's what I do." That the spirit had no problem with and Magpie's head nodded several times.

"In other words, your Father designed you that way. But we changed your stone completely to thwart his designs." Greed's eyes narrowed in sudden speculation and Magpie felt herself smile. It was so strange, being the one riding in her body rather than driving it. "I would wager your father gave you specific powers, but desensitized you to any other alchemy. You couldn't do anything else, could you?" Greed didn't answer which Allisa took as an affirmative. "Now you can. You will have a gateway to Truth, and all the powers of alchemy inherent to that. Perhaps we can replicate your former ability using alchemy, but it will never be instinctive again." Allisa shrugged. "A power lost and a power gained. It could be worse." Then she relinquished her hold on Magpie's body, making her stumble slightly as she resumed control. She and Greed stared at each other for a moment and Magpie tried to think of something reassuring to say, but she really couldn't.

What would this mean for the future?


	11. The Truth Hurts

Magpie licked the sweat off her upper lip and glanced up at the sun. It was well past zenith, which was starting to worry her. She paused a moment to orient herself, searching for familiar landmarks. If night fell before they reached the well, she would use a compass and the stars, but Magpie was not looking forward to that. Her silvery eyes just didn't see that well at night.

_Where is the dried up river stream? It must be close._ Taking a deep breath, Magpie continued walking. Greed was leading the mule and Martel was bringing up the rear. The blonde woman – well, not blonde at the moment – was close to wilting in the heat. This part of the desert was stony, not sandy, and the hard rock crunched underfoot. In the sandy desert, her people depended more on oasis than wells. Building wells was too hard there, and the drifting dunes could cover them over.

"There it is." Magpie spotted the desiccated waterpath with relief. Greed and Martel both looked a bit blank. "It's a flood path." She explained, pointing toward the ragged gulley. "The desert sometimes gets storms, and this land can't take in any water." She stamped the hard rock in emphasis. "So it creates those gullies. Don't camp in them, ever."

"I'll keep it in mind, Librarian. But why do we care?" Greed asked and Magpie smiled, walking towards the stream.

"Because the well is near. We try to put them near landmarks." She said calmly and glanced back as the donkey brayed. She was trying to bite Greed, who swore and slapped her. They all speeded up a bit, drawn by the lure of water.

"That would be good. I'm nearly out." Greed admitted, pulling out his canteen. Magpie frowned to herself. These outlanders needed more water than her people, which she had planned for but it was still a burden.

"I think we have one more canteen on the donkey. And if not, mine is half-full." She said absently as she looked for the further signs of the well. It took a good half-hour of walking, but she finally found it. "Here, help me with this." Magpie began shifting rocks off what looked like a cairn. Greed grumbled something about fucking rocks, but began to help her. Soon a breeze swept up, tinged with the sweet hint of moisture. "There." Magpie searched a bit more beside the well and found the bucket, filled with small stones. She dumped them out and carefully checked the rope before dropping it into the well. Pulling it back up rewarded her with a bucket full of water, although it was a lot of work. The well was deep and there was quite a lot of rope.

They filled up all their canteens, let the donkey drink her fill and took the time to wash themselves. By then the sun was setting and Magpie considered. Should they press on? Or should they stay by the well until morning? Greed tapped her shoulder and Magpie looked up at him. His face was startlingly dark, especially with the light fading.

"Can we stay here? The donkey is pretty tired." Magpie glanced the beast over and nodded. The animal was a little soft from a long stay in the city, so it was probably better to take it slow. And washing up in the morning would be nice, although it wouldn't help too much. The walnut dye itched, but she had affixed it with alchemy. It wouldn't be washed off anytime soon.

Getting ready to leave Xerxes, they had been delayed by the realization that Fuhrer Bradley would be looking for them. Accordingly, they had settled on disguises. Alchemy had been considered and discarded – too difficult – so the disguises were mostly physical. To any strangers, Greed was an exiled Il and Magpie and Martel were his wives, also disgraced. Magpie had tutored him in their ways, which wasn't that difficult. Arrogant and standoffish would do the trick. Their departure had been further delayed by a minor emergency, which made Magpie frown to think of. A young Ishvalan woman had accosted her and begged her to use her alchemy to save her son. That was supposed to be forbidden in the Ishvalan religion but Magpie had consented after finding out the boy had lockjaw. She'd expected an argument from Greed and Martel, but they had seen the disease in their time as mercenaries. It was a gruesome way to die, and the thought of a three year old with that ailment…

Magpie shook that thought away. They had left before any religious upheaval, but Magpie had spoken to Miyoki and knew a bit more now. Apparently, the Ishvalans in Xerxes were divided. A majority still adhered to their religion and dreamed of returning to their holy land. But a sizeable minority had despaired of that. They wanted to make Xerxes their home, and turn their back on Amestris forever. Another minority, overlapping with the other, felt that the edicts of Ishvala had weakened them. They wanted to fight fire with fire and many were already trying to learn alkahestry from the Xing. Some of that camp wanted to take back their holy land by force, but others wanted to use the power to defend their new home. It was all a bit tangled and Magpie knew her actions had thrown a torch to the fire. There would be harsh words, but she was far away. Hopefully everyone would have forgotten by the time she returned.

Magpie set up the tent quickly and efficiently as Greed started a fire. The main fuel in the desert was animal dung, and thanks to the fact that the stream sometimes held water, there was plenty. It wasn't for the heat – in the summer, the desert did not get chilly at night – but to heat up some water for tea. Someone had brought a load of it into Xerxes and was selling it at a surprisingly low price. Magpie had snagged a bit just before they left.

_~Not that it's very good tea. But it does appear to be tea.~ _Allisa observed. Magpie grinned as she fished out the copper pot and set it over the flames. Then she frowned, looking around.

"Where is Martel?" The other woman was nowhere to be seen. Greed shrugged.

"Off stargazing." Magpie glanced up at the heavens. She could certainly understand the attraction. In the desert, the sky was so clear, it was like looking into the hands of God. "Giving us a bit of privacy." She glanced up to meet Greed's gaze and smiled, flattered.

"Alas! For tonight, I have other plans." Greed frowned, a touch offended until Magpie explained. "I want to work on replicating your shield. This is really the best time." Working by firelight wasn't easy but the only other available time on this trek was the noonday siesta. While that would have been better in terms of light, the heat was stupefying. She just couldn't concentrate through it.

"Oh! Well, in that case…" Greed grinned and leaned back, watching as she began scrawling out a pattern on her hand with a piece of soft carbon. It was something she usually kept in her archaeology kit, for the rare times she wanted to make imprints. It was also highly appropriate and would lend a bit of the power of similarity. She wanted her skin to become carbon, after all.

By the time Martel came back Magpie was utterly frustrated. If her passengers hadn't assured her that failures were completely normal for creating a new rune, she might have given up.

"What are you two doing? I thought you'd be naked in bed by now." Martel asked, lifting her eyebrows before staring at Magpie. "What's wrong with your arm?" Magpie hissed and shifted it, lifting it up. It was stiff as a piece of coal and hurt like fire.

"Just failure." She said through gritted teeth although Greed leaned forward, fascinated. "Can I release it now?" Her spirits were examining exactly what was happening to her body. The healer alchemist was particularly fascinated.

_~We're getting closer but the change is going to deep into the underlying tissue… yes, you can let it go.~_ Magpie broke the spell and sat back with a groan, rubbing her arm as her normal flesh returned. _~If you didn't have a Philosopher's Stone that would likely be doing permanent harm.~_

"I know." Magpie muttered, exhausted and sweating heavily. She started as hands touched her shoulders then relaxed as Greed gave her a massage, working some of her tension out. That felt good but she was too tired for anything else. Greed's breath was warm against her ear.

"C'mon, Librarian, let's go to bed." Magpie nodded and stood, almost stumbling with fatigue. Greed steadied her easily.

She was almost asleep before she hit the blankets.

* * *

><p>Magpie glanced around the room as she set down her bags. It was not a sight to gladden her heart and Miyoki wouldn't have tolerated it for a minute. However, it was very much in keeping with their disguise as Il outcasts. They had decided to find shelter in the Ishvalan slums, and they were dirtier than Xerxes. Magpie wondered if it was because the people here had given up, or because the authorities kept them down. Xerxes had many downsides but the Ishvalan survivors were the closest things to authorities the city had.<p>

"We're going to get fleas again." Martel said, dropping her bag with a disgusted thump.

"Again?" Magpie murmured as she looked at the bed and decided against sitting on it. "Hm." Cringing a little, she began to strip the bed down. "I'm not sleeping in these." She tossed them into a corner of the room and looked at the mattress. It had clearly been scavenged from the trash and broken coils were sticking out. It was still better than the ground they'd slept on getting here, but the cleanliness left a great deal to be desired. "Ugh." Taking a deep breath, she spread their blankets over the mattress. It was big enough for all three of them, which was typical of the slums. "I don't suppose you have any way to rid this room of vermin?" She asked Allisa in an undertone.

_~Not me. Let me check…~_ Magpie took out a bottle of water and began to clean as Allisa searched for an answer. Martel shrugged and joined her as Greed went to get some food for them. She could sense what Allisa was doing – checking all the mindless souls to see if any of them contained the information she needed – and Magpie could have done it herself, but it seemed to go faster when the other soul handled it. _~Nothing alchemic but there are some tricks involving burning sulphur. We could probably seal the room to make sure the fumes cleanse it.~_

"Nevermind. The whole building is probably infested." Magpie looked with disgust at the specks of shit along the line of the floor. The building was hosting bedbugs. She made a note to sulphur treat all their clothing and items after they left.

_~That isn't necessary for bedbugs. We can kill those very easy after you leave… they can't stand very high temperatures. The highest desert temperatures will kill them.~_ Magpie blinked at that piece of trivia and shook her head. But that would make it easy to get rid of them after they were gone, although they might need to get naked so she could treat all of their clothing. _~What a charming thought. We'll be watching for that.~_

"It sure is infested. I've got mouse droppings over here. But I don't see any sign of rats." Martel commented and Magpie felt grateful. Rats were definitely not her thing. She'd been bitten by one as a child and never really got over it. "That asshole we rented from should be ashamed." Magpie grimaced and nodded. Greed came in carrying three sticks and Magpie eyed them dubiously. Were they moving?

"Hey, I've got some crunchy things on a stick." Greed said cheerfully and Magpie decided she was imagining things. They were too badly burned to be moving. That wasn't very promising for the taste, but the charring was so extensive it was almost reassuring. They might taste like charcoal, but food poisoning wasn't likely. She took one and tentatively nibbled, then crunched. This stuff was not going to be eaten without some serious work. "Don't ask what they are because I have no idea." Greed wolfed his down, or rather tried to. The incredibly tough, crunchy meat didn't allow for it. "Hell!" He took a quick gulp of water, shaking his head. "This stuff is nasty."

"It's edible." Martel said as Magpie chewed and thought. "We've had worse. Remember that time when we were tracking that child rapist down through that dead valley and ended up eating those bugs?" Greed grimaced.

"Remember? I can still taste them when I think about it!" Magpie was interested but tuned them out anyway as they reminisced about various horrible meals. She could have told them about the time her mother's yogurt had gotten infested with weevils, and her father had insisted they eat it anyway, but decided not to.

She simply didn't know what to do. They were back in Amestris, but that was only the first step. She had a vague idea, supported by Allisa, that she could use a homunculus to harm Greed's father. But catching one would be very dangerous and how exactly would she find one? Using Greed's stone to track them might be possible, but it might not too. She'd done her best to break that link. What if she'd done it a bit too well?

"Greed?" She finally said, making the two of them look at her. "What are we doing now?" She asked and he looked taken aback, glancing at Martel for a moment before answering.

"How would I know? I've only been learning this alchemy shit for a week! What are we doing now?" He demanded and Magpie sighed to herself. That was fair enough, but she was only an amateur herself. With good teachers but still.

"Well, I see two options." She said reluctantly. "And I don't much like either of them. The first is, we can try to trap a homunculus." Greed lifted his eyebrows and Magpie wondered if he had any feelings for his brothers and sisters, if he even thought of them that way. Probably not, but if he did she'd find out now. "Your father has created a weakness in himself by attempting to banish his sins. That weakness can be exploited. Allisa believes that with a homunculus to work with, we could magnify the sin they embody and return that sin to your father fivefold." Greed's eyes narrowed and he rubbed his jaw for a moment, thinking.

"That's pretty good. If we could do Sloth, that might paralyze him." Greed grinned at the thought, then shook his head. "But how would we find one of 'em? I'm totally out of the loop, they could be anywhere."

"That's exactly the problem." Magpie admitted, nodding. "Before I could probably have used the similarity between your Philosopher's Stone and theirs to track them but now, I'm not sure I can. My other idea though…" Magpie hesitated. She didn't like this idea at all, and it would cost her something. What, she had no idea… that would be up to God. "We need information. I could – petition Truth to give it to me." She swallowed at the thought. She didn't want to see that glowing white form again, but she might have to. "For that, though, I would need a focus. Something personally meaningful and related to the problem. We would have to go to the slain oasis." Magpie shivered at the thought. She'd personally known many of the people who had died there. Some had even been from her clan, although not many. They had been fortunate. Greed looked skeptical as Martel winced. She wasn't interested in going through the desert again.

"How long will that take?" Greed asked and Magpie smiled briefly.

"In that, we're in luck. The military built a train to help with their staging. It's mostly used by them, but they do sell tickets occasionally to those with legitimate business. And since we're posing as Il, that won't be difficult." An Il would certainly have legitimate business near the edge of the desert. It was likely the ticket sellers wouldn't even question it. Greed thought about it a moment longer then nodded.

"Sounds good. But what are you so worried about?" He asked and Magpie blinked as she realized he didn't understand. Had she ever explained Truth to him? Perhaps not. She'd been too busy trying not to think about it.

"Greed, Truth will demand a payment from me." Magpie bit her lip as she thought about it. "A… body part of some kind." She said hurriedly as Martel looked at her sharply. "I don't know what it will be. I won't know until after I find out." She'd learned all that from Warp Weaver. He'd lost a leg for knowledge. Greed scowled at the thought.

"I don't like that. Isn't there another way?" They talked it out for a while but couldn't think of anything else. Research would be almost useless, since the details of this plan had never been committed to paper. Greed knew about Father's plans, but only the general details. With only the three of them they needed to be clever, and general information just wasn't enough. "Alright. I'll go find out when the next train leaves. You guys try to get this place liveable, does that sound good?"

"That should be fine." Magpie immediately agreed. She didn't think the train would be leaving tonight, or even tomorrow, so they would be in this poky room for a while. When Greed was gone, Magpie put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. Water and a rag really wasn't going to cut it. "Martel, we should probably go get some soap." She hesitated a moment then added. "And maybe some sulphur." The blonde woman nodded.

"You're thinking of stinking out the pests? It sure couldn't hurt. Let's go find an apothecary." They left their goods in the room, and Magpie warded the door. It wouldn't be fatal but if anyone tried to get in they would receive an almighty shock.

Hopefully the train would be leaving soon, and they could leave this slum behind them.

* * *

><p><em>A week later<em>

Magpie shivered as she looked over the oasis. It was beautiful, full of lush plants and verdant desert life. But it was completely empty, with only a few rotting buildings as signs that anyone had lived here. To a desert dweller, that was profoundly unnatural. An oasis was meant to be lived in. Why else would God have given them to the people?

Shaking away that thought, Magpie walked through the decaying buildings. She finally paused at what had once been the main shrine. It was broad daylight and she could clearly see the stains of old blood on the stone walls. What was left of them, which wasn't much. The blocks of stone had been sheered away with the distinctive signs of alchemy. Magpie wouldn't have understood what she was seeing until recently, but now the markings were clear.

"You okay?" Magpie jumped as Greed put a hand on her back, then she smiled up at him, touched by the concern. And he did seem genuinely concerned about her well-being.

"This place feels haunted, even in the daytime." Martel said, her voice subdued and Magpie shivered again. So it wasn't all in her imagination. But then she straitened her shoulders.

"I'm fine. This will be the perfect place." The floor in the temple was mostly clear and she could make a rune here. Apparently, if you asked the right way God would have no choice but to respond. Which was something Greed's father also knew, it seemed. "This won't take long." The rune she was going to be using was deceptively simple. After his incident with Truth, Warp Weaver had designed a rune meant to do nothing but open the gateway to Truth. Using it in a place with personal meaning was important, though. Magpie couldn't quite recall why but she was sure of that point. She quickly scrawled a lopsided circle, then put some writing on the edges. This, too, was individual. At first she began writing a plea, but then she paused and blotted it out. What she wrote instead was almost a curse, but it suited her feelings about this place.

_Why do you allow such darkness in the world? Why does evil prosper? I will do what I can to make evil falter. Help me._ Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the centre of the circle and stared up at the sun. One thing that make the Zephronese alchemy very different from modern alchemy was its source of power. She hadn't realized it for some time, since she drew power from her Stone, but the Zephronese used the power of the sun. Not practical in many lands, it suited the desert well. The power flowed through her and into the circle until she felt like she was falling…

Familiar white surrounded her. Magpie stared at her gateway and saw, to her surprise, that it was no longer blank stone. It was engraved with runes now. Not modern alchemy, and not entire Zephronese, but a bastard hybrid that made her reach out questioningly. The door began to part and she drew her hand back, looking around and trying to find Truth. But the gate was fully open and hands began to reach out for her. Magpie didn't try to fight them, turning her attention back to the door. She had asked for this, after all.

She could not have described what happened after that if she tried. It was colors, shapes, knowledge of anything and everything that tried to fill her mind until she felt like she might explode. But Magpie held on grimly, focusing on the knowledge _she_ needed. The rune and the curse she'd written on it helped, and she finally knew what she needed to know. The end came abruptly and Magpie gasped as she suddenly sat up, in front of the gate once again.

_**I told you we would meet again.**_ Magpie turned to see Truth. He was grinning at her, which she found truly disturbing. _**Are you ready to pay the price for what you demanded, arrogant child?**_

"Of course." Magpie stood, adjusting her robes and holding her head high. Then she flinched in horror as she felt her left eye begin to… _unravel._ The sensation was like nothing she'd ever dreamed of and she hated it like nothing else. The eye reappeared on Truth's face and Magpie gripped her head, feeling unutterably violated. "Ah!" She choked back a scream. She had agreed to this. She had agreed…

_**An eye for knowledge, then. Enjoy what you have learned.**_ Magpie fell to her knees as the white mist vanished, and became aware of the blood dripping between her fingers. Greed was by her side and Martel was sorting through her bag, cursing. A moment later there was a pad pressed to her face and Magpie found she could take no more.

Fainting was a mercy.


End file.
